Reason
by Jay1414
Summary: With a loss so great it almost made him lose faith in himself, Ash was in dire need of help. Two familiar legendaries help get him back to his feet, along with the help of his companion, Dawn. With the support from his friends, family, and all of his pokemon, can Ash defeat his stoic rival and be known as victorious in the Sinnoh League? Smarter and more mature Ash. Pearl/Alto. AU.
1. Rethinking the Problem and a Reunion

**Hey, Jay1414 here.**

**Well here it is, the rewrite.****_ (Well for some of you it's just the first chapter. This is my first story, so I hope I do alright.)_**

**Summary: Every loss, every defeat, there's always been a missing piece. A piece that stopped him from winning. Just what was this missing piece or missing factor that prevented him from winning? He'd have to find out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Pokémon or any of the characters used in this publication.**

**Chapter 1: Rethinking the Situation and a Reunion Battle!**

On a boat about 30 minutes away from Lily of the Valley Island, 3 figures stood at the deck, watching the receding ocean. The first figure, and definitely the oldest one, had brown spiky hair, squinted eyes that seem closed shut, tan skin, a green collared shirt under a black and orange vest, tan cargo pants, and blue and white trainers. This figure is known as Brock Harrison, former Pewter City leader and aspiring breeder.

The second figure, and the only female, had long, blue hair accompanied with yellow hair clips and a white beanie with a white poke ball symbol, sapphire eyes, a magenta scarf, a white tank top under a black and pink shirt/skirt, and pink boots. This figure is known as Dawn Berlitz, Twinleaf Town born aspiring Top Coordinator and Sinnoh Grand Festival finalist.

The last figure, had unruly raven hair underneath a red and black baseball cap with a blue poke ball symbol, auburn eyes, a white tee shirt underneath a black and white shirt with a yellow V shaped design in the center, black gloves with lime green trim, blue cargo pants, and black and red trainers. This figure is known as Ash Ketchum, Pallet Town native and aspiring Pokemon Trainer who will also be the one competing at the upcoming Lily of the Valley conference. Strangely, he didn't seem to be too happy at the moment. Ash usually is the one who is always full of life, optimistic, and joyful but now, he seemed to be in very deep thought and is conflicted.

'I still can't believe it,' he thought bitterly. 'I don't understand how we lost to Paul at Lake Acuity. We trained so hard but still ended up coming short.' He just didn't understand it. Why had he lost? He and his pokemon had trained so hard but they still ended up losing. It frustrated him to no end because he had no idea why this kept happening to him.

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_"Monferno use Mach Punch!" Ash ordered his fire monkey, clenching his fist. _

_Monferno agreed, charging up energy into his fist and sprinting at the opposing Electabuzz with impressive speed._

_"Electabuzz meet him halfway with Thunder Punch!" Paul called to his electric type._

_Nodding in approval, Electabuzz ran directly at Monferno with his fist encased in electricity, ready to strike._

_Ash could hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He was nervous about the outcome of this battle. Monferno was well over exhausted and it made him wonder if he would be okay after this collision. He silently thought to himself, 'Even if you lose Monferno, I'll still be proud of you.' He was extremely distraught from the fact that Paul had once again left him in this situation. He couldn't believe that he was possibly one attack away from losing once again to the Sinnoh native._

_Paul on the other hand, was very calm. He was rather impressed that his ex-pokemon had evolved in the battle but he knew that Electabuzz could take care of him right here, right now._

_As both pokemon neared each other, they glared into each other's eyes, albeit each for different reasons. Electabuzz' reason was because he was ready to finish Monferno off and finally get some praise from his trainer, something that he had always wanted but never received. Monferno's reason, was that he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to show Paul that he was stronger than he used to be. That he could match Electabuzz, that he could beat Electabuzz._

_After a brief period of time, both pokemon finally collided. Monferno got Electabuzz in the jaw, while the electric pokemon got the fire monkey in the gut. Rocks, wind, and dust formed from the powerful collision. The whole group of people there had to cover their eyes to refrain from becoming blind. This group consisted of Brock, Dawn, Reggie, Pikachu, and the trainers and their pokemon._

_The dust stayed, blanching the air, silhouetting the pokemon in a heavy shade of white. After a while, the dust finally cleared enough to see both pokemon, a sight which made Ash sigh in relief and Paul stare seriously._

_Both pokemon were standing, seizing each other up. Monferno felt he still had some fight left inside himself. He heard the electric pokemon call him. He looked up and saw his giant smirk, boiling his already steaming blood. Electabuzz gave him the "come at me" gesture which had the fire monkey fuming even more. Taunting him was he? He'd show him! At least that's what he intended to do, before he began to see blotches, making him inwardly panic. When a pokemon began to see blotches, it meant that it was on it's last legs and was close to losing consciousness. Monferno felt his eyes start to close but tried his best to keep them open. 'No, NO! I can't lose! Not now!' He tried to reassure himself, but it seemed it was not to be as the blotches soon took over his whole vision as he froze, collapsed, and fell unconscious._

_"MONFERNO! NO!" Ash screamed in anguish, his blood running cold._

_"Monferno is unable to battle! Since all of Ash's pokemon have been declared unable to battle, the winner of this battle is Paul!" The referee declared, pointing one of his flags to the Veilstone City native. Now that it had happened, Ash still couldn't believe it. He had lost to Paul again. It was like a terrible curse. Like a broken record, always painfully on repeat. This was getting old for him. He needed to find out why he always lost to him, because if not he might go insane. Although Ash knew that he had lost, he still couldn't shake the feeling that the battle shouldn't have ended this way. He felt that HE should have won. That he WOULD'VE won. He knew something was wrong and he intended to get to the bottom of it. He had to find a reason as to why he kept losing to Paul._

_While Ash was lost in his thoughts, Paul had thanked the referee, told some things to his brother, concerning his pokemon, then proceeded to walk away. He had known that he had won from the start, since he had Ash all figured out. Every strategy, move, and pokemon he used, he could counter it. That was why he had no doubts as to Electabuzz beating Monferno. He continued to walk, not looking back._

_Brock and Reggie had very similar thoughts. Brock thought about the fact that Ash was taking this hard because this had happened a lot while Reggie thought about the fact that Paul had Ash planned out from the start. Everything was planned on Paul's side._

_Dawn was worried for Ash. He had trained his hardest but had still lost to his rival for the umpteenth time. It dawned on her that this was how he always felt, after a defeat by Paul. If she had to deal with losing to Zoey or Ursula like this, she wouldn't be able to take it. She walked up to him, and rubbed his back, successfully breaking him out of his thoughts and making him look at her._

_"No need to worry Ash," she reassured gently with a soft smile, making him smile slightly. Dawn's kindness was always a blessing for him, but not even that was enough to cheer him up. He felt he needed to think this over. Just why couldn't he win? He had no idea. It puzzled him to no end._

_Ash, with Dawn, walked over to Brock and Reggie. They looked at him in concern, seeing his sullen mood. He looked up and didn't even try to fake a smile. He merely asked Reggie for Pikachu and spoke while he walked away, "I'm going to take a walk for a little, to clear my head."_

_While he was walking away, he was inwardly berating himself. He knew that his losses had been caused by his own mistakes, but Ash had no idea how to fix them. He had no extra puzzle piece, no key to the lock, none of that. He was just lost. Lost in a world where he will continue to get beaten and never improve. It hurt him deeply to think of losing to Paul at the Lily of the Valley Conference, but it was very much possible. It scared him, to think of what difference the battle would have made had this battle been during the Sinnoh League and Paul had knocked him out. He was so helpless, hopeless without a reason. He had to find out what his reason was, because if not, he would never be able to defeat Paul, who only kept getting better._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

'I've got to find the reason to this, because I can't lose to him again. I, I just can't,' Ash murmured to himself bitterly, clenching his fist in frustration. He couldn't let it happen again, but just like before, he was still helpless in finding a solution. He was scared, and had no idea how to help himself.

Brock looked over at his friend, and inwardly sighed. Ash has never been the same after that last battle with Paul. It took a toll on him which made him depressed and always deep in thought. It pained him to see his friend who was always full of life, behave as if the life had been sucked out of him. Brock himself knew that he did not have a solution to Ash's problem either. He thought about who could help him, and one person came to mind. Someone who had known Ash and himself for years.

Dawn was just as worried for Ash as she was on the day of the battle, possibly more. She hated seeing her friend sad. Heck, it hurt _her _to see him in this mood. He was always shining like the sun but now was glum like a storm. She also unfortunately had no piece to his puzzle. She knew she couldn't help him in finding his reason but could at least try to comfort him. Not even Pikachu's cheek rubbing was doing anything.

"Ash?" she questioned thoughtfully, tapping his shoulder, which made him finally break out of his thoughts and look over at his blue haired companion.

"Yeah?" he replied in a distant tone. He knew full well that he sounded glum. He couldn't fake his emotions, especially not to Dawn.

"How are you feeling?" she asked kindly, rubbing his back softly to calm him down. He smiled at her in gratitude, although it faded not long after. Just like last time. That was Dawn for you, always trying to cheer him up. It was heartwarming to him, but it didn't raise his mood by much.

"I'm still feeling confused. I can't seem to find a reason as to why I can never beat Paul. It's frustrating," he replied, while Brock walked over to them.

"Say, how about you tell Professor Oak about this. He might be able to help you find the solution," Brock suggested, which made Ash think. Wouldn't Professor Oak know? He was an ex-champion after all.

"Yeah, that makes sense," he retorted in a soft tone, rubbing Pikachu's fur, making the mouse coo softly. He looked back at the beautiful landscape in front of him and tried to relax.

"I'll ask him when we get to the Pokemon Center on Lily of the Valley," Ash said after a while, getting a nod from his two friends.

* * *

After about 30 minutes, the trio of trainers were able to see Lily of the Valley. It was simply marvelous. The boat dropped them off near the Pokemon Center. The sunlight impacting the island was engulfing them in a beautiful feeling of warmth and comfort in one. The clear skies and warm temperature made this place seem like paradise. Trainers walked everywhere, mostly to the Pokemon Center for the Conference. Civilians were doing their daily activities of jogging, playing a sport, watering their plants, etc. The trio looked at the island in awe. It was truly a sight to see. As they neared the Pokemon Center, Ash noticed someone outside the Pokemon Center. Someone familiar.

"Gary Oak?" Ash asked, walking up to him, flanked by his other companions.

"The one and only! If it isn't Ash! And Brock and Dawn as well!" Gary called back to him. He hadn't changed from the last time Ash saw him in Sinnoh, just with the addition of a lab coat.

"What are you doing here Gary?" Brock asked him next, truly intrigued what Ash's ex-rival was up to. Gary looked at him and, since Brock was older, talked more maturely to him.

"Well for one thing, I'm here researching some of the things on Lily of the Valley with Gramps, and I'm also cheering Ash on at the Conference," he replied, jabbing his thumb behind him. The group looked behind Gary to see his grandfather, Professor Oak, who just like Gary hadn't changed, and...

"Ash!" Someone familiar called while squishing Ash in a hug. The monster hug, high pitched voice, strong grip, suffocation, it all added up. This was his mother, Delia Ketchum. Although Ash loved his mother dearly, he didn't exactly favor her hugs.

"Hey...mom...great to see you but I can't feel my stomach," Ash choked out as she immediately let him go, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry about that, but it has been so long since I've seen you, my son," she retorted while Ash smiled and nodded. "And hello to you too Brock and Dawn," she finished with a wave, while the other two waved back with their own greetings.

Ash looked back to behind Gary to greet his paternal figure, Professor Samuel Oak. "Hey Professor Oak!" he greeted while shaking his hand. Brock also greeted him with a, "Pleasure to see you again." and Dawn with a, "Can I hear a poem?", making both Oaks sweat drop.

After pleasantries were finally finished, Gary gave Ash a calculating look, as if seizing him up.

As soon as he noticed Ash return his look, he asked his request.

"Say Ash," he called, knowing that this question would fire his ex-rival up for sure.

"Yeah?" Ash questioned, looking back to him.

"Have you gotten any better at battling?" Gary challenged with a smirk. The professor-in-training wanted to see if his old rival still had any skill.

Almost immediately, Ash's demeanor changed into a competitive one. Of course he was better! Did Gary think he was still that loser trainer from Pallet? He had grown!

"Oh you bet I did. Are you asking for a battle?" Ash asked, matching his smirk. Gary might have bested him many times, but now was the time to put him in his place.

"You're damn right I am! Just 'cause I'm a researcher now doesn't mean I can't beat you in battle," he challenged back. Did Ashy-Boy think that he had lost his skill? Think again!

"How does a 1 on 1 sound to you? I want to get a little warm up with my team," Ash taunted at his fellow native, wanting to see his reaction. Gary might have always riled him up but now it was his turn.

"Oh you're on!" Gary yelled back. Was Ash taunting him?! That's his job!

Before they could get too up in each other's faces, Brock got in between and said, "How about we find a battlefield, I'll referee." Both teens nodded and walked with Brock and the others to find a battlefield.

* * *

After walking for a while, they found out that there were practice fields behind the Pokemon Center so they went to one.

"This will be an interesting battle indeed," stated Professor Oak as he observed the two trainers.

"It'll be just like old times," reminisced Brock with a smirk. He remembered Ash's battle with Gary at the Silver Conference. One of the best he's ever witnessed.

"So you're saying that Gary used to be a trainer just like Ash?" asked Dawn, not too knowing of the situation. She had always thought Gary was a poem telling researcher like his grandfather, but hey who knew?

"Yes, they were very competitive back then," answered the elderly Oak, gaining a look of recognition. He chuckled at the thought of the two getting into petty fights when they were little.

"It seems that competitive nature between them hasn't changed but has only gotten toned down," observed Delia. She always remembered how Gary and her baby always challenged each other in their childhood. It was cute to her to see them get all riled up.

"Alright I guess it's better to start the match now than never," stated Brock as he walked to the mini podium-like structure in front of the middle of the battlefield and held his arms out. "This is a 1 on 1 battle between Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! Substitutions are not allowed! When one pokemon on one side is unable to battle, the battle is over!" The Pewter City native exclaimed, turning to look at each of the two trainers who were nodding at him to continue.

"Trainers call out your pokemon!"

"Go Umbreon!" called Gary as he threw a poke ball, sending out his precious starter. He had a hunch of who Ash would use, as did Professor Oak.

"Umbreon!" It cried. It was a black fox-like creature with smooth, black fur and gold rings accompanied with blazing red eyes.

"An Umbreon huh?" pondered Dawn as she took out her Pokédex to scan the pokemon.

**Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. The rings of Umbreon's body glow faintly when exposed to the moon's aura, and it gains a mysterious power.**

"Wow! What a beauty!" Dawn exclaimed in awe as she put her Pokédex away, finding the dark type eeveelution to be very majestic.

"Umbreon has been waiting for a rematch against you, Ashy-boy," Gary said, smirking at his ex-rival.

"Alright then, Pikachu, I choose you!" yelled Ash as his furry yellow mouse pokemon jumped off his shoulder and landed on the battlefield with a cry. "Pika pika!"

"It doesn't surprise me that Ash would use Pikachu," stated Professor Oak, cracking a smile.

"How come?" asked Dawn curiously. She had no idea Ash would use Pikachu, given she knew nothing of Ash and Gary's past battles.

"Well for one, they are both the starters of the two. The starters are always known as the pokemon that a trainer started with and has bonded the most with and that's how it was when they faced off the first time. Back when Umbreon was an Eevee, it beat Pikachu in a one on one battle. The rest is history," answered Professor Oak as he crossed his arms. This battle would surely be one to behold.

"Alright, Umbreon versus Pikachu Begin!" yelled Brock as he threw his arms down.

"Okay I'll start this off, Umbreon use Quick Attack!" commanded Gary as his dark furred pokemon ran at Pikachu with blazing speed.

"Pikachu match it with your own Quick Attack then use Iron Tail!" ordered Ash, while his mouse pokemon ran at an equal speed to Umbreon and canceled out both attacks.

"Umbreon block the Iron Tail with your Confuse Ray!" Gary called out as Umbreon sent a ray of sinister energy at Pikachu, effectively stopping the attack and confusing him.

Pikachu began to teeter and walk around in a deep daze while his trainer looked at the mouse in concern.

"No, Pikachu!" Ash called out as he berated himself for not thinking faster. 'I need to find a way out of this situation. Pikachu is a sitting duck in this condition,' he thought as he pondered to think of a solution.

Unfortunately, Gary gave his ex-rival no space to breathe. He smirked at the upper hand he had gotten. He would definitely put it to use.

"Umbreon use Feint Attack followed by Shadow Ball!" he called as his pokemon seemed to vanish from thin air before it appeared behind Pikachu, crashing into the mouse. It then charged an orb of ghostly energy and shot it at Pikachu's gut, making him reel and slide to Ash's feet. Pikachu seemed to snap out of his confusion from the 2 hit combo and collision, but was still feeling pretty hurt.

Ash yelled in concern to his mouse to get up as Umbreon would strike again if he didn't react. "Get up Pikachu! We can't let them have any more advantages! Use Volt Tackle!" he called as the mouse finally got up and became encased in electricity while running at high speeds, directly at the dark furred pokemon. "Pika pika pika pika pika..."

"Umbreon, quickly stop Pikachu with Protect!" Gary exclaimed as Umbreon became surrounded in a green shield and successfully blocked the electric type, making him bounce off.

"Now use Feint Attack followed by a Confuse Ray!" he ordered, once again on the offensive. The dark furred pokemon complied as it once again vanished and appeared behind Pikachu, but Ash was ready this time.

"Pikachu take the Feint Attack and then use Counter Shield to block the Confuse Ray!" Ash ordered back as everyone except the trio of trainers looked at him in curiosity.

"Counter Shield?" Gary questioned as Pikachu took the Feint Attack. Pikachu was wincing from the dark type attack as Umbreon sent once again a ray of sinister energy, but this time the mouse got onto his back and spun around while using Thunderbolt in a circle, which effectively blocked the Confuse Ray and even hit Umbreon.

Gary was simply astounded from the brilliant technique used by his ex-rival, but quickly shook it off. He looked at his Umbreon who was slightly wounded from the Thunderbolt but was still faring better than Pikachu, and decided it was time to end it as Pikachu was on his last legs.

"Umbreon, finish this with Giga Impact!" he declared, clenching his fist. Umbreon was encased in orange-purplish energy and charged at Pikachu like a rocket, keen on getting a final strike to end the match.

Ash knew the danger the attack could do to his buddy and knew he had to think fast as Umbreon was quickly approaching.

"Pikachu, I know this is a huge risk but counter it with Volt Tackle!" Ash called out as the electric mouse once again was encased in electricity and charged straight at Umbreon. While both pokemon were centimeters away, they each were thinking the same thing. 'I've got to win. This is for my trainer to show him why I'm his best pokemon.'

Both pokemon finally collided in the center of the battlefield, blinding the field with smoke.

"PIKACHU!"

"UMBREON!"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I try to update as much as possible.**

**Here's the revision of Reason, so I hope you enjoyed.**

**I intend to slow things down.**

**That's all for now, see ya!**


	2. Confrontations and Realizations

**Hey, Jay1414 here with the next chapter of Reason. Thank ****you so much for the feedback, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"dialogue"

'thoughts/other speech'

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on_ _Reason:_

_Gary was simply astounded from the brilliant technique used by his ex-rival, but quickly shook it off. He looked at his Umbreon who was slightly wounded from the Thunderbolt but was still faring better than Pikachu, and decided it was time to end it as Pikachu was on his last legs._

_"Umbreon, finish this with Giga Impact!" he declared, clenching his fist. Umbreon was encased in orange-purplish energy and charged at Pikachu like a rocket, keen on getting a final strike to end the match._

_Ash knew the danger the attack could do to his buddy and knew he had to think fast as Umbreon was quickly approaching._

_"Pikachu, I know this is a huge risk but counter it with Volt Tackle!" Ash called out as the electric mouse once again was encased in electricity and charged straight at Umbreon. While both pokemon were centimeters away, they each were thinking the same thing. 'I've got to win. This is for my trainer to show him why I'm his best pokemon.'_

_Both pokemon finally collided in the center of the battlefield, blinding the field with smoke._

_"PIKACHU!"_

_"UMBREON!"_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Confrontations and Realizations!**

Inside the smoke, both pokemon were still standing, although unseen to everyone else. Umbreon stood panting while Pikachu was trembling on his hind legs. The mouse took a look at his dark furred opponent, nodded his respect, then immediately fell unconscious, unable to take anymore. His thoughts before he fainted were, 'I'm sorry Ash, if I've failed you.'

Ash could feel the heat from the battle. It was a blazing fire which made him wonder just what was the result of this battle? Gary could feel it as well. He wondered if that last attack had finished Pikachu, finished Umbreon, or none of the above. It was mind boggling. He looked back to the battlefield. It seemed that the smoke was finally starting to clear, until you could finally see the two pokemon.

Ash looked at the result of the battle in shock. Brock had the same reaction, while Dawn's reaction was more sad. Professor Oak's and Delia's reactions seemed to be very serious. Gary's reaction was very small, but also bright in contrast to Ash's.

The result of the battle was, an unconscious Pikachu, and a heavily panting Umbreon. Ash was shocked at first but came to understand that Umbreon and Pikachu were at about the same level overall, and the mouse had taken way more damage than his foe. Although it pained him when he realized that his starter had lost to his ex-rival's starter, who was not even a trainer anymore, it made him think about his battle with Paul. Gary had him beaten completely as soon as he had used Confuse Ray, just like how Paul had him during their last battle. He berated himself for not defending against the Confuse Ray. If he had found some way to defend against the Confuse Ray, the battle might have not ended this way.

While Ash was stuck in his thoughts, he heard a voice._ 'You say you don't know why you keep getting defeated, correct?_' He flinched at the voice. It was a voice he hadn't heard in a while. 'How are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be in another region?' he thought, seeing if the voice would respond. Fortunately, it did. _'I am able to talk to you anywhere, must have been something they put in me when I was created.'_

When he heard that, he realized for the third time_, 'If you were always able to speak to me, why didn't you speak up until now?' _he asked as the voice in his head sighed._ 'I have Ash, remember the deep voice that would voice ideas deep in your mind?'_

That statement made Ash stop and think. It was true that there has always been a deep voice that was faint in his mind, around the back. It always gave him ideas which Ash thought were just made up by his own crazy imagination. But now, he now knew that the ideas that the voice deep in his mind gave were not his crazy thoughts at all.

'So all those ideas that I thought were made by my own imagination, were yours?' he questioned in his mind. _'Yes,'_ The voice told him. 'Then, yes, I don't know why I keep getting defeated,' Ash answered to the voice's earlier question, sighing.

_'Do you want to know why? Because I have the solution,'_ The voice stated, making Ash want to jump in joy. His reason? The voice knew? Although Ash was happy and relieved, he needed to know just what the solution was.

'If you do know, what is it?' he urged the voice. The voice seemed to chuckle for a bit before it gave an answer._'The solution is simple, you need to train your current pokemon with your older ones. Train them all together so they all get stronger and use your older ones for battles as well. Your rival Paul uses pokemon that he has had from past journeys, hasn't he?'_

Ash simply gave out a small 'yes' before the voice continued.

_'Exactly, he uses his older pokemon which gives him an advantage against you in battle. Same with Gary. If the battle versus Gary had been more than a one on one, then he would've beaten you with ease with his older pokemon.' _Ash still could not use his voice from the utter truth the voice's words had.

'That is why I want to help you train your pokemon to become stronger, stronger than they could ever be,' It stated after letting it's previous words sink in.

Ash finally found his voice and asked, 'But how can you help me?'

The voice chuckled once more and retorted,_ 'I want to become your pokemon, as it will benefit the both of us, and I have received requests from two pokemon, one who you have raised, whom want to return to you once more. They seek to become your pokemon and battle for you. I can transport you to where I am and we can go to each location to pick them up. What do you say?'_

Ash almost fell from shock. It wanted to join him?! And so did two other pokemon?! Amazing! But then he thought about how he was going to be able to just disappear from thin air and go with the voice.

'I accept, but how will I be able to go with you and just disappear while I'm on a battlefield with my friends and family watching plus Gary in front of me? That reminds me, shouldn't they be able to see me just frozen in place?' Ash asked, not seeing the logic in the situation.

_'Easy,'_ The voice started, _'Haven't you noticed that everything around you has frozen in place?'_ It asked as Ash took a look around. Indeed, it was frozen. He face palmed for not realizing it earlier. His friends and mom were frozen in place, Pikachu and Umbreon were both still on the battlefield, with the former unconscious, and Gary was still stood in front of him. Everything was frozen.

'So time stopped when you started talking to me?' Ash asked as he continued to look around.

_'Yes, it has,' _The voice answered, it's tone of voice showing amusement.

'But how?' Ash retorted in wonder, confused out of his mind. How was everything frozen?! What kind of wizardry was this?

_'Oh, that is because of my psychic powers. I have enough psychic energy to stop time, although I don't use it that much, only for emergencies, like now,'_ It answered, blowing Ash's mind once again.

'Wow, must be a lot of psychic power. So, when are we going?' Ash questioned, feeling extremely giddy.

_'We will go in a little while, but I want you to go tell Professor Oak if he can extend the amount of pokemon you can carry so you can request your pokemon you want to bring here. I will put time back to a little after the battle when you are all inside the Pokemon Center. After you do what I asked, I will stop time back again and send you to me, understand?'_ The voice finished as Ash nodded his agreement.

'Alright,' he answered as time was put back and he found himself in the Pokemon Center. He looked around himself to see Dawn, Brock, Gary, Professor Oak, and his mother Delia, all sitting on a couch with him next to Nurse Joy's desk. He felt the lack of weight on his shoulder and remembered that Pikachu was unconscious at the end of the battle with Gary and must have been given to Nurse Joy.

He heard Gary speak up. "That was a great battle Ash." He shook hands with his ex-rival and nodded to him.

"I'm sorry about the loss Ash," Dawn said, rubbing his arm with Brock nodding and patting his back.

"Its fine, the battle was only a practice battle," Ash responded, smiling at his two companions.

"Yes dear, even if you lost, it was a very enjoyable battle to watch," His mother added in, with Professor Oak also giving his encouragements.

While that was said, the battle came back to his head. It came back to him, his defeat. He was still sort of sad but knew that the voice's training would help him improve greatly. Ash remembered he needed to talk to Professor Oak about the extension of his pokemon handling limit and decided now was the time to speak up.

"Professor Oak?" he asked as the wise man looked up at him.

"Yes?" he responded in a thoughtful tone, wondering just what his grandson in everything but blood needed.

"Can I talk to you about something in private? It has to do with my pokemon," Ash answered the aged professor.

"Why sure my boy," Oak told him as they bid a moment to chat to everyone else as they walked to an empty table around the corner of the Pokemon Center. They sat down as Professor Oak asked, "So what is it you need, Ash?"

Ash wondered just what Oak would think about this, as they had never discussed this. "Do you think I can get an extend on my pokemon holding limit?" he hesitantly informed the man, who merely chuckled.

"Of course you can Ash," he replied wholeheartedly, much to Ash's shock. He wanted to question this but decided to let Oak finish.

"You have been a trainer for 5 years, have gotten 36 badges over the course of your career, have captured many pokemon, and have gotten good spots in every tournament you've ever participated in. You have been able to have a pokemon holding extend since you started to travel in the Hoenn region! The only reason I haven't mentioned this was because you always used the pokemon you caught in a certain region to use in tournaments and such, so I assumed you wouldn't need it," he finished, crossing his arms.

Ash was surprised that his achievements he'd earned had impacted his holding limit. Since Hoenn?! Wow! He mentally berated himself for not finding this out sooner. If Ash had known about this, he could have gotten a better finish in the Evergrande Conference! Either way, he pushed those thoughts away and looked back at Oak.

"Then Professor, how much can I hold?" Ash questioned the elder male, hoping it would be a good amount.

"You can hold up to 12, as it has increased every region. It has increased starting with 8 in Hoenn, 10 in the Battle Frontier, and now 12 here in Sinnoh," Oak explained.

"So Professor Oak, when can you extend my pokemon holding limit?" Ash asked next, eager to know when he could get his training started.

"Oh, I can do that right now. Just let me see your Pokedex for a moment," he answered as Ash handed him the encyclopedia. He pressed a couple buttons, then gave it back to him. Ash thanked the man profusely, which Oak merely brushed off.

"I'm going to call Tracy about sending me my pokemon," Ash told the wise man as he walked with Oak back to the couch.

"Hey guys and mom, I need to make a quick phone call. Good ole Professor Oak just increased my pokemon holding limit!" he hollered in glee as he basically sprinted to go find a phone.

Brock chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm. It'd been way too long since he had seen it. Dawn smiled and giggled slightly at Ash's glee, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She really missed when he was all bright and happy, she really did. Delia was also smiling, but mostly smiling because of how much of a good son she had. Oak simply crossed his arms and smiled, while he conversed with his grandson, Gary, about some pokemon they had seen on Lily of the Valley Island.

* * *

Ash basically danced his way to find a phone. He was simply overjoyed about having his holding limit extended to 12. Now he could train with all his best pokemon all together! And with the help of the voice, he could succeed in winning against Paul, and any person he might face in the Lily of the Valley Conference!

* * *

After finding a phone and getting his 6 pokemon from Tracy, he called for the voice in his head.

'Hey, I'm ready to go now!' Ash called as he was surrounded in psychic energy and transported to another location.

* * *

He landed on his toes, barely landing and nearly tripping. He had no idea he had to make his landing, like a jump. Ash thought that he would just appear on the ground how he was in the Pokemon Center, but hey, he didn't make the rules. He looked up when he heard his name being called.

_'Ash, welcome back,'_ The voice said as Ash noticed the pokemon surrounding it and himself.

Ash gave a light smirk before he nodded. "Good to be back, _Mewtwo_."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**I try to update as much as possible.**

**Until next time, see ya!**


	3. Getting The Team Together

**Hey, Jay1414 here with chapter three of Reason.**

"**Dialogue"**

**'thoughts'/other speech'**

_'Mewtwo's speech'_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_"So Professor Oak, when can you extend my pokemon holding limit?" Ash asked next, eager to know when he could get his training started._

_"Oh, I can do that right now. Just let me see your Pokedex for a moment," he answered as Ash handed him the encyclopedia. He pressed a couple buttons, then gave it back to Ash_

_Ash thanked the man profusely, which Oak merely brushed off._

_"I'm going to call Tracy about sending me my pokemon," Ash told the wise man as he walked with Oak back to the couch._

_"Hey guys and mom, I need to make a quick phone call. Good ole Professor Oak just increased my pokemon holding limit!" he hollered in glee as he basically sprinted to go find a phone._

_Brock chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm. It'd been way too long since he had seen it. Dawn smiled and giggled slightly at Ash's glee, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She really missed when he was all bright and happy, she really did. Delia was also smiling, but mostly smilin__g because of how much of a good son she had. Oak simply crossed his arms and smiled, while he conversed with his grandson, Gary, about some pokemon they had seen on Lily of the Valley Island._

* * *

_Ash basically danced his way to find a phone. He was simply overjoyed about having his holding limit extended to 12. Now he could train with all his best pokemon all together! And with the help of the voice, he could succeed in winning against Paul, and any person he might face in the Lily of the Valley Conference!_

* * *

_After finding a phone and getting his 6 pokemon from Tracy, he called for the voice in his head._

_'Hey, I'm ready to go now!' Ash called as he was surrounded in psychic energy and transported to another location._

* * *

_He landed on his toes, barely landing and nearly tripping. He had no idea he had to make his landing, like a jump. Ash thought that he would just appear on the ground how he was in the Pokemon Center, but hey, he didn't make the rules. He looked up when he heard his name being called._

_'Ash, welcome back,' The voice said as Ash noticed the pokemon surrounding it and himself._

_Ash gave a light smirk before he nodded. "Good to be back, Mewtwo."_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Getting the Team Together! Part One of Two!**

After pleasantries were exchanged with himself and the pokemon, Ash took a look around at his surroundings. They were in a cave, although outside the cave was a civilization of just pokemon. Pokemon he owned and pokemon he wanted to own roamed the mountain known as Mt. Quena, which was located in the far depths of the Johto Region.

The teen looked back at Mewtwo, who was waiting for him to stop gazing at his land. Ash laughed sheepishly and stopped gazing. "So, is it time to go? And if so, where to?" he asked the psychic legendary.

_'First, before we go anywhere, release all your pokemon. This shall be our training ground. After we get things settled, I will go with you to retrieve your two pokemon in a quarterly manner, and send you back to Sinnoh so you can be in time again. Your training will begin tomorrow. Every time we have training, go to a secluded area in the forest near Lily Of The Valley, and I will send you here,'_ Mewtwo explained, as Ash tried to take everything in.

"Okay, but what about Pikachu? He's the only pokemon I don't have with me," Ash replied, pointing to the vacant spot on his shoulder.

Mewtwo simply snapped his fingers, and Pikachu was right on Ash's shoulder. He looked at Ash in curiosity, wondering just what they were doing here.

After an explanation done by both Mewtwo and Ash, Pikachu nodded and was excited to see his old friends and to also get stronger.

Ash released all the pokemon he had with him, thus releasing 11 pokemon. They all gave their significant cries, as they all looked around in confusion, making Ash and Mewtwo groan, and making them explain once again the situation.

After another grueling explanation, everyone finally understood. Ash looked over at Mewtwo, who was nodding in respect to his strong, diverse group of pokemon, who could be way stronger with his help.

Ash returned his pokemon for the moment as he would not need them now. He had looked at all his pokemon he had with his Pokedex, even Mewtwo. Every pokemon which he had not taken with him in Sinnoh had learned many different moves.

_"Alright, we can perform the last thing that must be done after we retrieve the two pokemon,"_ Mewtwo told the raven haired teen. _"Now, first off, we are heading to Mt. Silver to pick up the first pokemon who wanted to join you,"_ The psychic type added as he surrounded Ash and Pikachu in psychic energy and the trio disappeared in thin air.

* * *

The trio reappeared on a giant snowy mountain. Ash shivered as he realized he had no jacket and would freeze.

"Charizard, I choose you!" he called as his draconian fire type was released. Charizard shot a flamethrower at Ash's face, and for once, the shivering teen was glad for it.

Ash hopped on his fire starter's back and told him, "We're here to find a pokemon who wants to return to me and become my pokemon. So I'll need you for a ride and for warmth." Charizard snorted at the second part but nodded either way.

_"The pokemon who wants to return to you is Tyranitar. He told me that you raised him when he was a baby and he thinks of you as his father,"_ Mewtwo told the teen as Ash was immediately gleeful. His little Larvitar was a big strong Tyranitar now?

"Where is he Mewtwo?" Ash asked the legendary, not being able to see much other than heavy amounts of snow. Mewtwo simply began to float and immediately sped off in a direction headed westward, leaving Ash in the dust. Ash didn't need to say anything as Charizard promptly followed the psychic type with Ash and his rodent starter on the dragon's back.

* * *

Dodging falling snow, spinning past wild pokemon, and swerving around trees and rocks, the trio of Ash and his pokemon struggled to catch up with the speedy Mewtwo. After about 5 tense minutes of rapid dodge n' swerve, Mewtwo finally stopped in front of an opening. Charizard landed inside the opening and let Ash and Pikachu down. The quartet looked around for any sign of the bulky pokemon.

A load roar was heard along with the heavy stomping of feet. Ash nearly tripped and fell from the giant rumbles the ground was having due to the heavy stomping. After the stomps increased tenfold, Tyranitar grabbed Ash and hugged him, making him wish that his mother was hugging him instead as this hug was ten times worse than any of hers. He looked up from his scrutinizing squish of a hug and noticed Tyranitar's eyes begin to water. He hugged his son in everything but blood, making sure he didn't stab himself.

After the heartwarming reunion, Ash was released by Tyranitar and the giant pokemon gave him a smirk of determination. Ash matched his smirk when he realized what his son wanted. A battle of course!

"Alright Tyranitar, I'll have a battle with you. But remember, no matter how it ends, I'll catch you at the end, alright?" Ash told the beast as Tyranitar nodded his agreement, wanting to prove to his dad that he was better and much stronger now.

The raven haired teen fingered his poke balls and finally chose one. "Go! S-" He was interrupted by Charizard's roar, bringing his attention to the fire flying type.

He looked at his fire starter who was pointing at himself and glaring at the dinosaur like pokemon. Ash put the poke ball away and nodded at Charizard, who flew to the other side of Tyranitar, ready to battle. Mewtwo smirked, backing up slightly and letting the two battle.

"Alright Tyranitar, you can have the first attack," Ash explained to the beast pokemon, who took it in stride.

Tyranitar roared loudly then punched the ground with a giant fist, making heavy rocks appear from the ground. He caught them quickly, and chucked them at Charizard. A Rock Slide.

"Charizard to the skies!" Ash yelled, sensing the power in the attack. The draconian beast complied by ducking and sidestepping in the air, successfully dodging all the rocks thrown at him.

"Now, retaliate with Steel Wing!"

Charizard's wings became encased in steel and the raging fire pokemon flew straight at Tyranitar with a burning determination at making some good damage. The dinosaur like pokemon simply waited until Charizard was meters away before it became surrounded in a green shield structure which made Charizard bounce off but stay in the air. The beast then charged a beam of dark energy, Dark Pulse, then shot it directly at Charizard with blazing speed. The attack nailed the dragon's stomach, making him reel backwards but he kept his balance and remained in the air.

"Charizard charge up a Dragon Rage while swooping in with Fly!" Ash ordered next, making motions with his arm to match his commands. The fire/flying type nodded his consent and charged up a bluish-greenish orb in his throat while he flew straight toward the heavily spiked pokemon. Tyranitar roared at the challenge and charged energy in his claws, while his jaws were dyed in a dark shade. Slash and Crunch.

"RELEASE!"

"ROOR!" Charizard released the orb from his burning hot throat, while the fire flying type crashed into Tyranitar with his wings extended to their max. The attacks crashed into the spiked beast, simultaneous to Tyranitar's attacks.

"ROAWR!" Tyranitar slashed the fire dragon multiple times on his side, back, and belly. He then bit onto the draconian beast with his extremely sharp jaws, biting fiercely onto the fire type's wing.

Both pokemon roared in pain from the powerful attacks, which albeit not super effective, were terribly painful either way. The two beasts crashed into the mountain floor, creating a giant crater.

Ash and Pikachu covered their eyes, while Mewtwo continued to watch, not bothered at all.

Inside the smoke, both pokemon started to rise, not finished yet. Tyranitar smirked at the dragon, while Charizard copied his look.

_**Pokespeech initiated:**_

"I have to admit, that Dragon Rage was pretty strong. The Fly wasn't bad but I can accept that it's not normally used as an attack as much as a method of transportation," Tyranitar told the dragon as they both got back to their feet.

"Likewise, your Slash and Crunch combo was very well executed, but also very painful. You have grown Tyranitar. It's great to have you back," Charizard replied as both beasts butted elbows.

"Let's make it a great fight to the finish, alright?" The spiked pokemon told the draconian fire type. Charizard nodded, although noticing his wing was near unusable at the moment.

"Guess it's gonna be a ground battle now. That Crunch crippled my arm for the moment. But don't think that 'cause I'm flightless means that I'm any worse," Charizard told the dinosaur like pokemon with a beastly grin.

Tyranitar nodded confidently, as the smoke began to clear.

_**Pokespeech end:**_

The smoke cleared to reveal Charizard, albeit with a crippled wing, and Tyranitar, both standing strong.

"Alright Charizard! Too bad your wing seems crippled," Ash observed, as Mewtwo stayed silent, merely observing as Ash was but in silence.

Tyranitar smirked at his dad and roared loudly, louder than ever. A Screech attack.

"Charizard bat the sound waves away with Steel Wing!" Ash called out as the fire/flying type spun in a circle with his good wing encased in hard steel, effectively sending the sound waves away.

"Now! Charge at Tyranitar and use Seismic Toss!" Ash yelled once more. Charizard complied and sprinted to Tyranitar with impressive speed for someone who relied on his wings. Tyranitar tried to use Rock Slide to get him to stop, but it was no use as the fire/flying type was simply too agile.

Although unable to fly, the draconian fire type was able to leap using his strong leg muscles and lifted the heavy pokemon with impressive strength. Flipping around once, the dragon spun with the bulky beast into a combined top, with no means of stopping.

Tyranitar sensed the trouble he could be in if he impacted with the ground. He decided if he was going down then so was Charizard. The spiked beast charged a powerful Dark Pulse and did not plan to release it until both pokemon impacted with the ground.

The combined top was mere feet from the ground before Tyranitar released the powerful dark orb. After the orb impacted, the top slammed into the hard mountain floor. The smoke that came from the earlier collision was nothing compared to the smoke produced now. Ash quickly put his hat down over his eyes and Pikachu went in his backpack. Even Mewtwo covered his eyes this time.

The sound of pure rock crumbling was the only thing heard by the trio of Ash, Pikachu, and Mewtwo. Ash wanted to call out his distress to his son and dragon, but could not as the dust was so strong he might have tasted it. Mewtwo already knew the results of the battle from feeling the two pokemon's emotions, but did not want to ruin the moment and be blunt about it.

The smoke lasted for about 5 minutes, with rocks flying and boulders crumbling. Mewtwo actually had to deflect some stray rocks from hitting them with Barrier. Ash gave out a silent prayer that his pokemon would be okay. This collision was far from usual. It was an end result of two tyrants in a fierce war of strength.

After a while, the smoke and rocks began to dissipate gradually, letting Ash regain his sight and for Pikachu to come out of his backpack. The teen looked over at the crater in the middle of the battlefield and cried out, "CHARIZARD! TYRANITAR!" He sprinted over to the crater with Pikachu and Mewtwo following.

The crater was as deep as the eye could see. Ash had to stop himself from running any farther or he might have fallen in. He looked inside the crater to see something shocking. Mewtwo and Pikachu both looked inside as well, with the former nodding in respect and the latter watching in amazement.

Both pokemon were almost motionless. Tyranitar lay panting heavily on his side, shown by the way his body was rising and lowering. Charizard on the other hand, was on his back, eyes barely open but still conscious. The only way to define the result was close. Both pokemon were obviously finished, but there was no real winner.

Ash climbed into the hole, with help from Mewtwo. He noticed them not look at him directly. He patted his son's head and rubbed the fire dragon's belly. "It's alright guys, that was one of the best battles I've ever been in. Take a good rest."

He took out two poke balls. He tapped one on Charizard's head, thus returning him. He tapped the other one, a fresh one, on Tyranitar's arm, thus making him his. "Welcome to the team, son," he said kindly, making Tyranitar smile weakly at him before he was sucked into the new poke ball.

The ball shook three times, then clicked with no struggle at all. Not only was the beast too exhausted to escape, he had wanted to be caught all along. Ash put Charizard's poke ball on his belt and was then levitated out of the hole by Mewtwo. He was about to ask how he was going to have more than 12 pokemon, when a necklace with 3 poke ball holders appeared in front of him.

_"You can put Tyranitar and the other pokemon that we will pick up on this,"_ Mewtwo told the teen. Ash nodded and put the poke ball on one of the holders, and promptly put the necklace on.

It was a silver necklace, with three holders for shrunken poke balls. Hiding the necklace under his shirt to be edgy, Ash smiled gently at the thought of using Tyranitar in battle, and was happy that he had gotten his son back.

"So where next?" Ash asked the psychic type. Mewtwo levitated away while Ash and his starter followed him.

"_Altomare,"_ Mewtwo started._ "Seems Latias wants to be with her "savior" again,"_ he finished with a hint of humor, making Ash almost fall. Another legendary?! His luck just got better and better.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**I try to update as much as possible.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**No flames please.**


	4. A Blonde's Entrance

**Hey, Jay1414 here with chapter four of ****Reason.**

"_**Dialogue"**_

_**'thoughts/other speech'**_

_'Mewtwo's speech'_

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on _Reason:

_He took out two poke balls. He tapped one on Charizard's head, thus returning him. He tapped the other one, a fresh one, on Tyranitar's arm, thus making him his. "Welcome to the team, son," he said kindly, making Tyranitar smile weakly at him before he was sucked into the new poke ball._

_The ball shook three times, then clicked with no struggle at all. Not only was the beast too exhausted to escape, he had wanted to be caught all along. Ash put Charizard's poke ball on his belt and was then levitated out of the hole by Mewtwo. He was about to ask how he was going to have more than 12 pokemon, when a necklace with 3 poke ball holders appeared in front of him._

_"You can put Tyranitar and the other pokemon that we will pick up on this," Mewtwo told the teen. Ash nodded and put the poke ball on one of the holders, and promptly put the necklace on._

_It was a silver necklace, with three holders for shrunken poke balls. Hiding the necklace under his shirt to be edgy, Ash smiled gently at the thought of using Tyranitar in battle, and was happy that he had gotten his son back._

_"So where next?" Ash asked the psychic type. Mewtwo levitated away while Ash and his starter followed him._

_"Altomare," Mewtwo started. "Seems Latias wants to be with her "savior" again," he finished with a hint of humor, making Ash almost fall. Another legendary?! His luck just got better and better._

* * *

_**Chapter 4: A Blonde's Entrance!**_

Ash was grinning from ear to ear at having another legendary and to return to Altomare. He was filled up with nostalgia as he walked with Mewtwo out of the cave with his buddy on his shoulder. He wondered how much nuzzling he was in for. He stopped when he realized something. If Latias wanted to join him, who would protect the Soul Dew?

"Mewtwo, if Latias becomes my pokemon, who will protect the Soul Dew?" Ash asked the psychic type. Mewtwo looked at him and simply stated while continuing to levitate, "The other Latios and Latias will." That response made Ash almost slip. There's more?!

"But, but how?" The teen questioned the legendary, completely astounded, making Mewtwo chuckle slightly. He stopped completely and turned to look at the raven haired trainer. "Latias had requested to leave Altomare for a while, and another pair of Eon Dragons have been requested to protect Altomare in her place. That being so, Latias is free to go," Mewtwo explained, turning back around and levitating once more, prompting the raven haired teen to continue following his lead.

"Oh, alright, so are we going there now or am I going to Sinnoh first?" Ash pondered as they made it to the end of the cave.

"You are going to Sinnoh to heal your two pokemon. I would advise to keep this all a secret for now. Do you understand?" The legendary said, while Ash nodded his consent.

"Yes I understand, so will you pick me up tomorrow?" The teen voiced back, already knowing the answer. Mewtwo simply nodded and once again surrounded Ash and his loyal starter in psychic energy and transported them to outside the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Ash made a nice landing this time, landing on his feet. He checked his Pokédex to see it was about 4pm. Afternoon.

He began his trek inside the Center and walked around, looking for his friends and family. He decided to head to the nurse to heal his beasts.

"Excuse me Nurse Joy, can you heal my pokemon?" Ash asked the sweet nurse. Nurse Joy simply smiled warmly at him and stated, "Of course I can." Holding out a tray for the poke balls, Nurse Joy took the two poke balls that Ash placed on the tray and handed them to a passing Chansey.

After giving his poke balls to the nurse, Ash decided to look for his group. He searched far and wide, unable to find them for about 5 minutes.

He finally spotted them around the lunch area. He felt his stomach growl as well as Pikachu's. The teen realized he hadn't eaten since before his battle with Gary. He walked over to the lunch line to get his lunch.

He heard rapid footsteps behind him. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder right as something crashed into Ash's back, or someone. He face planted on the floor next to another being. He turned his head slightly and was able to see blonde hair, an orange and white shirt, and a green scarf. Ash groaned at the realization.

"BARRY!" he yelled as the young man beside him immediately got to his feet and right up in Ash's face. "Ash! Why did you crash into me?!" The blonde yelled back.

"Me crash into you?! You crashed into me!" Ash inwardly groaned at being in another squabble with the blonde.

"Don't make me fine you! I'll give you ten seconds! 10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! Hey! Don't just stand there!" Barry yelled at the raven haired boy. Ash was seriously annoyed and decided to just drop this already.

"So have you gotten any better Barry?" Ash asked as Barry dropped the fine and gained a competitive demeanor.

"Course I have! That's why I'm gonna win the Conference!" he said confidently, making Ash chuckle.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?" The blonde questioned, seriously annoyed. Did he need another fine?!

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that you winning the Conference is hilarious," Ash admitted with a shrug, chuckling more, making Barry fume.

"Oh, you! I challenge you to a battle!" The blonde exclaimed, pointing a finger at the teen, making Ash smirk.

"Okay sure, how many pokemon?" The raven haired teen asked. Barry merely held up 3 fingers.

"Alright fine, but can we have the battle after lunch?" Ash asked, feeling his stomach growl more. Barry could feel his own stomach growl as well and could only nod.

The two teens went back to the line and waited to get their lunches.

Ash got his delicious food, consisting of a cheeseburger, curly fries, and orange soda, while Barry got himself a hot dog, french fries, and grape soda.

The teens went back to Ash's table and after introducing Barry to the ones who did not know him, they all sat down and ate.

* * *

After a satisfying and scrumptious lunch, we find our protagonist outside the Pokemon Center once again, only this time his friends and family were there as well. Brock was once again referee. Dawn, Delia, Professor Oak, and Gary watched from the sidelines, each with different thoughts.

Dawn was wondering just what pokemon Ash would use considering the fact that he had gotten 6 more from (Poet) Professor Oak's lab. She was excited at seeing a great battle. Although Barry was kind of annoying, the blue haired teen knew that he was an experienced trainer. She was obviously cheering for Ash, but wanted to see how Barry would do.

Mrs. Ketchum did not know the blonde boy at all, but was still interested in seeing how the battle would come out to be. She hummed to herself, also excited to see Ash's pokemon.

Brock, who was also referee, was just as curious as the former two were. He pondered who Ash might have brought, but did not want to ruin the moment by guessing them just yet.

Professor Oak did not know Barry either, but could deduct that the blonde was a good trainer. He himself did not know who Ash got from Tracy, as his assistant had merely told him that Ash wanted it to be a surprise.

Gary could tell this blonde teen was something unusual. Apart from his odd personality, he seemed to be a good trainer. He wondered if Ashy-boy could beat him.

"This is a 3 on 3 pokemon battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Barry of Twinleaf Town! When 2 out of 3 pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the winner is decided!" Brock called, his arms out side by side. Ash gazed over at his opponent, who was matching his gaze. This was no play around match. This was serious. He fingered his belt while Barry did the same.

Barry might have acted crazy and energetic before, but in a battle, the blonde knew that it was time to slow things down and be serious and confident. He had already made his decision as to what pokemon to use against the raven haired teen.

"Trainer, release your pokemon simultaneously!" Brock said, as both teens grabbed a poke ball from their belt, enlarged it, and threw it into the air.

"Go! Hitmonlee!" Barry called as he released his fierce kicking pokemon.

"Monlee!" The kicking pokemon cried as he kicked the air as a warm up. Barry wanted his Hitmonlee to get some practice before the Conference.

"Hitmonlee?" Dawn questioned as she took out her Pokedex and pointed it to Hitmonlee.

**_Hitmonlee_**_**, the Kicking Pokémon. This nimble Pokémon launches lethal kicks from almost any position.**_

Ash wanted to keep his pokemon a secret until it was released, so he only said, "Poke ball! Go!" His pokemon gave a cry before it stared at Hitmonlee with nothing but utter confidence.

Brock, Oak's, and Delia's reactions were of shock and nostalgia. Dawn's and Gary's reactions were more in praise.

"Ash has one of these?! I never knew!" Gary stated, remembering the pokemon from his research with Gramps.

"Woah! What a cool looking pokemon!" Dawn said in amazement as she pointed her Pokedex at it, not knowing the pokemon at all.

_**Sceptile, the Forest Pokemon. It's arms are equipped with razor-sharp leaves, and it moves lightly through tree branches in order to attack it's enemies.**_

"Ya ready Sceptile?" The teen asked his forest pokemon, who cried in determination. Sceptile glared into the dark eyes of Hitmonlee, sensing power. Hitmonlee glared back, wanting to beat the reptile as much as possible.

_**Pokespeech initiated:**_

"Interesting, what region are you from, lizard?" Hitmonlee asked the reptilian pokemon. Sceptile smirked and merely stated, "Hoenn."

"I hear your species is known for it's fierce kicking ability. Even so, I can still defeat you and best you in battle," Sceptile told the kicking pokemon, crossing his arms charmingly, making Hitmonlee fume slightly.

"We'll see about that, _Greenie,_" Hitmonlee answered him, butchering his name. Sceptile grew a slight tick mark on his forehead. He was normally very calm and collected, but his pride was first priority and he didn't take disrespect too well.

"Greenie?! The name's Sceptile, _Kickie_!" The lizard responded, seriously annoyed. Hitmonlee got equally annoyed and retorted, "It's not Kickie! It's Hitmonlee! I'm already annoyed by you. Can we just get the battle started?" The kicking pokemon urged, making Sceptile simply nod his consent.

_**Pokespeech off:**_

"Alright! Sceptile versus Hitmonlee begin!" Brock yelled as he threw his hands down. Ash looked over to Barry and nodded to him, allowing him the first move.

"Hitmonlee, charge in for a Close Combat!" Barry called as the kicking pokemon nodded and sprinted his way over to the reptile, his limbs glowing with a slight sheen.

Ash quickly remembered when he checked out Sceptile's current moves from his Pokedex on Mt. Quena.

_**QUICK FLASHBACK:**_

_**Sceptile's current moves are as follows:**_

_**Quick Attack, Leaf Blade, Agility, Solar Beam, Energy Ball, Bullet Seed, Leaf Storm, and Pound.**_

"_Interesting, so you know eight moves Sceptile," Ash observed as Sceptile nodded, proud of his moves._

_**QUICK FLASHBACK END:**_

"Sceptile! Use Agility to dodge!" Ash commanded as the reptile disappeared from his spot and began to circle around Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee tried to follow the motions, but was simply too slow.

"Now! Leaf Blade!" The teen called next, while Sceptile complied and used both of his sharp leafy arms to slice Hitmonlee repeatedly. Swish, Swish, Swish, Swish, that's all that was heard as Sceptile slashed at Hitmonlee relentlessly.

Barry smirked subtly, something that only Dawn caught. "Hitmonlee! Blaze Kick!" The blonde ordered with a grin, making Ash almost gasp in surprise.

"Sceptile, back off!" He tried his best to command the reptile who was still slicing the kicking pokemon. Hitmonlee grew intense flames on his left foot and imprinted his name on Sceptile's stomach, making the reptilian pokemon reel back to Ash.

"Now! Charge in with High Jump Kick!" Barry exclaimed, as Ash quickly made a counterattack.

"Use Pound to bat Hitmonlee away!" The raven haired trainer commanded, as Hitmonlee made his way to Sceptile, jumping with his foot high in the air.

Sceptile recovered from the burning strike, using his tail to match the High Jump Kick.

"Leaf Storm while he's close!" Ash ordered as Sceptile exuded a horde of razor sharp leaves which hit Hitmonlee directly, making the kicking pokemon wince and fall to the ground.

"Hitmonlee!" Barry called out in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, as Hitmonlee got up and nodded to the blonde.

"Alright then! Use Blaze Combat!"

"Blaze Combat?!" Ash asked in confusion, similar to everyone else watching the battle.

Hitmonlee complied, sprinting straight toward Sceptile while his left foot became full of flames once more. He began to pummel Sceptile with devastating kicks, elbows, knees and punches, which became full of flames as well due to the Blaze Kick.

Ash inwardly gasped at the powerful combination, but decided to use a combination of his own to get his reptile out of this. "Sceptile use Quick Attack and Agility!" The teen ordered as Sceptile complied although hurt from the powerful combination move. The reptilian pokemon seemingly disappeared from the spot where he was and began to run around again, only this time the reptile crashed into Hitmonlee, sending them both to the ground.

As both pokemon got up from the small collision, Barry made his next order. He waited for both pokemon to be ready to continue, then issued his next attack.

"Use Mega Kick!" The blonde yelled as the kicking pokemon's other foot became surrounded in a white sheen, as he once again charged for Sceptile.

"Sceptile match the kick with Pound then use Bullet Seed!" Ash ordered as his reptile began the command. The lizard put up his giant tail and stopped the Mega Kick with slight ease. He then shot many seeds at the kicking pokemon, making him reel back slightly.

"Hitmonlee! Close Combat once more!" The blonde called, as Hitmonlee slid back to the reptile and began to pummel him once more.

"Sceptile Leaf Blade to get him off you then Solar Beam!" Ash commanded. The reptilian pokemon sliced Hitmonlee multiple times to get the kicking pokemon off him. The lizard then began to charge energy into his back from the sunlight.

Barry cursed for not having an attack to defend it, but then remembered one attack he could use. He waited until the Solar Beam was fully charged, until he said the command.

"RELEASE!"

"TILE!" Sceptile released the beam from his throat, directly toward the kicking pokemon.

"Hitmonlee use Protect!" Hitmonlee complied and surrounded himself with a green shield structure, successfully blocking the attack.

The blonde teen used the huge power drain from Solar Beam to his advantage, while Ash was berating himself for using the risky move as Sceptile was basically motionless at the moment and Barry had a huge advantage.

"Hitmonlee! Blaze Combat once again!" Barry yelled as the kicking pokemon once again began to pummel Sceptile with it's blazing limbs.

Ash inwardly gulped as Sceptile was defenseless at the moment. Hit after hit, Sceptile was seen getting less and less defensive. Finally, Sceptile was recharged and Ash could put his plan into action.

"Sceptile, use Storm Blade!" Ash initiated his combo move. Sceptile exuded many sharp leaves that pierced Hitmonlee while he sliced the kicking pokemon. Although Sceptile was taking major damage as Hitmonlee had not stopped his Blaze Combat, the lizard did not relent.

Barry and Ash could only watch as it became a battle of only the pokemon as neither of them wanted to stop. Impulsed on pure adrenaline and determination, there seemed to sign of stopping for either opponent.

_**Pokespeech initiated:**_

"You're gonna lose lizard!" Hitmonlee exclaimed, albeit breathing heavily.

"In your dreams. It's time to finish you off here and now!" Sceptile shot back, also having trouble breathing normally.

"HAAA!" Both pokemon put all the power they had into the combination attacks, successfully causing an explosion.

The two pokemon could hear their trainers calling out in concern. The explosion covered the battlefield in dust and smoke.

Sceptile looked over at Hitmonlee, who's limbs had stopped burning, while he looked at his arms, the leaves were no longer glowing. He smirked over at the kicking pokemon, who had no mouth, but seemed to be smirking back at him, by the way his eyes were narrowed slightly. Sceptile had had some very intense battles before, and this was definitely one of them. He felt he still had a good amount of fight left in him, so the lizard got up from the ground and began his walk to Ash's side of the battlefield.

"Lizard!" Hitmonlee called, making the reptile looked over at the kicking pokemon and stop walking. There was Hitmonlee, with his hand out. "No matter how this ends, I gotta say this was one of the best battles I've ever had with my new trainer." Sceptile nodded to his opponent and took his hand to shake.

"Likewise, my trainer has used me for some fierce battles, and this was one of them," The Forest pokemon told Hitmonlee, while the reptilian pokemon walked back to his trainer's side.

Hitmonlee merely turned around and walked to his trainer as well.

_**Pokespeech off:**_

The smoke was not done clearing, but both trainers felt nudges. Ash looked up to see his lizard looking at him with determination, wanting to end this now. Ash merely nodded to him as the reptile turned around and faced the battlefield.

Barry felt a slight kick on his leg and looked to see his kicking pokemon as well, with a look of determination. Barry merely stated with a slight smile, "Let's finish this."

"Monlee!" Hitmonlee complied energetically, wanting to finish it as much as Sceptile did.

The smoke finally cleared, and both pokemon faced each other once again. The two teens faced each other, glaring with determination. This was the last attack, the last one. Whatever result the battle would have, would be decided here.

"Sceptile! Solar Beam!" Ash yelled as Sceptile once again charged up grass type energy from the sun and began to form an orb of bright green aura.

"Hitmonlee use Hyper Beam!" Barry called out as the kicking pokemon charged an orange orb in his hands which increased every second.

Both orbs grew until the size of basketballs until...

"RELEASE!"

"TILE!" Sceptile released the Solar Beam, simultaneously to Hitmonlee's Hyper Beam.

"MONLEE!" Hitmonlee released the Hyper Beam, colliding with the reptile's Solar Beam.

The fight for dominance became the key to victory. Both pokemon put all the power they had into the attacks. Sceptile could feel the sweat coming off his back from the serious force he was putting into the attack, before he felt a giant energy boost inside himself open up. It felt similar to when he wanted to prove to Meganium he was better than Tropius by evolving, but it was not an evolution.

"SCEPTILE!" The grass type screamed as the power surge was released from his body, surrounding him with a green field of energy.

"That's Overgrow!" Brock exclaimed as he observed Sceptile's aura. Everyone had stayed quiet as this battle had been amazing but Brock couldn't help but point it out.

Not only did the power surge give Sceptile more energy, it gave him power. His Solar Beam began to overtake Hitmonlee's Hyper Beam and pushed it back all the way.

"TILE!" Sceptile cried in determination, the power surge mixing in with his adrenaline.

"MONLEE!" The kicking pokemon cried as the attack hit him full force, knocking him backwards.

The smoke once again returned to the battlefield as the attacks had impacted Hitmonlee.

"HITMONLEE!" Barry cried in concern. The smoke cleared after a while, showing Hitmonlee to be unconscious.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! The winner of the first battle is Ash and Sceptile!" Brock declared as he pointed his hand to Ash.

"Alright Sceptile! Great work," Ash praised, rubbing Sceptile's head.

"Return Hitmonlee. Thanks for the great battle, and take a good rest," Barry said as he returned the fainted pokemon.

"Return Sceptile, I could use you later," Ash stated, as Sceptile merely nodded, before being sucked into his ball.

Ash and Barry both took a ball off their belts, enlarging them.

"Go! Roserade!" Barry yelled, sending out the rose pokemon.

"Roserade!" she exclaimed gently, looking determined but calm.

"Poke ball! Go!" Ash declared, once again not revealing the pokemon until it was released. His pokemon cried before standing in front of his trainer, glaring at it's opponent.

"Woah! What a giant pokemon! Just what pokemon is that Ash?!" Barry asked, slightly intimidated.

Ash smirked at the intimidation, but answered the blonde nonetheless.

"This Barry, is my old buddy. Known as The Protector of Viridian Forest!" he finished with a smirk, while his pokemon cried in agreement.

"Alright! Let's do this, Pidgeot!" Ash yelled in triumph.

"PIDGEO!"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**I try to update as much as possible.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks for reading, see ya!**


	5. First and Most Memorable

**Hey, it's Jay1414 here.**

**Sorry for the wait. Here's the next installment of Reason.**

"_**dialogue"**_

_**'thoughts/other speech'**_

_'Mewtwo's speech'_

_**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! The winner of the first battle is Ash and Sceptile!" Brock declared as he pointed his hand to Ash._

_"Alright Sceptile! Great work," Ash praised, rubbing Sceptile's head._

_"Return Hitmonlee. Thanks for the great battle, and take a good rest," Barry said as he returned the fainted pokemon._

_"Return Sceptile, I could use you later," Ash stated, as Sceptile merely nodded, before being sucked into his ball._

_Ash and Barry both took a ball off their belts, enlarging them._

_"Go! Roserade!" Barry yelled, sending out the rose pokemon._

_"Roserade!" she exclaimed gently, looking determined but calm._

_"Poke ball! Go!" Ash declared, once again not revealing the pokemon until it was released. His pokemon cried before standing in front of his trainer, glaring at it's opponent._

_"Woah! What a giant pokemon! Just what pokemon is that Ash?!" Barry asked, slightly intimidated._

_Ash smirked at the intimidation, but answered the blonde nonetheless._

_"This Barry, is my old buddy. Known as The Protector of Viridian Forest!" he finished with a smirk, while his pokemon cried in agreement._

_"Alright! Let's do this, Pidgeot!" Ash yelled in triumph._

_"PIDGEO!"_

* * *

_**Chapter Five: The First Bird Was Always The Most Memorable!**_

"Pidgeot came back?!" Brock exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "When?!"

Ash slightly smirked at the amazement in everyone's eyes. He looked over at Brock and decided to enlighten him.

"Brock, Pidgeot had returned to Pallet Town the same day I got her. Tracey told me how Pidgeot was missing me," he explained, smiling brightly as he started to reminisce.

_**FLASHBACK:**_

_Professor Oak's laboratory_

_We see Tracey, Professor Oak's assistant, feeding the group of pokemon that surrounded the Corral. He loved doing his job but was feeling incredibly tired at the moment._

_Tracey yawned as he finished feeding the last pokemon. Without the professor nor Gary present it made his job as Professor Oak's assistant even harder. He was about to walk back into the lab to check some paperwork until he heard the sound of heavy wings flapping. He stiffened, taking a poke ball from his belt in case there was danger. The pokemon watcher began to hear caws, getting closer and closer._

_Tracey spun around, poke ball enlarged, and stopped when he saw the pokemon. The pokemon was a giant bird, one that could easily sweep his bug types. This bird was a Pidgeot, the final stage of the Kanto regional bird. He noticed the bird was real chummy with the other pokemon of the Corral, mainly Ash's pokemon Charizard, who had returned from the Charizific Valley some time ago, and Bulbasaur. The pokemon watcher began his trek to the pokemon, curious as to what this Pidgeot wanted._

_He made it to the ranch as the attention was turned to him. The bird pokemon cocked her head to the side as she eyed Tracey. The bird seemed gentle so decided to give her a nice welcome. "Hello, although you are a new face, welcome to the Oak Corral!" Tracey exclaimed, holding out a hand to the Pidgeot. The bird responded in kind as she gave him her left wing. They promptly shook hands/wings. Tracey looked at Bulbasaur, who seemed the closest to the giant bird._

"_Bulbasaur, I don't mind the extra company, but who's pokemon is this?" Tracey asked, puzzled. This Pidgeot had to be owned by someone if Bulbasaur of all people knew it. Bulbasaur had been here since Hoenn and had never left the ranch since._

_Bulbasaur seemed to grow an expression of thought. How could he explain that this pokemon was Ash's? _

_Pidgeot seemed to also be in thought. Was there a way she could prove she belonged to Ash? She looked around to see what she could do. She got an idea, with a comical light bulb appearing above her head._

_The giant bird cawed to Bulbasaur, then began to say her name repeatedly. After Bulbasaur nodded a couple times, he began to command the other pokemon to get together into a group. Tracey watched as all of the pokemon, Ash's, got into a group._

_Pidgeot waited until the pokemon watcher was watching, and pointed at herself then to the group of Ash's pokemon. Tracey instantly understood, seeing as these were all pokemon belonging to Ash._

"_Ah! So you're Ash's pokemon!" Tracey exclaimed, intrigued._

_Pidgeot cooed in agreement, but then changed emotions to sad._

"_You miss him, don't you?" Tracey stated knowingly, rubbing the bird's fur, as Pidgeot nodded sadly._

_The pokemon watcher smiled sadly, as he heard the telephone begin to ring. He patted Pidgeot's head before walking inside the lab, directly to the phone._

RING RING RING! RING RING RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL! RING RING RING! RING RING RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!

_Tracey picked up the phone, annoyed at the stupid ring-tone every home phone had. He saw the phone screen light up, as a figure was produced onto the screen._

"_Hey, Tracey!" The figure greeted, grinning. Tracey grinned back, happy to talk to his friend._

"_Hey there Ash!" he called back, seeing as Ash looked really excited._

"_So, here's the thing. The professor changed my pokemon holding limit to 12. That being said, can I have six of my pokemon?" The teen asked, as Tracey was momentarily shocked at the change, but grew over it quickly as Ash deserved it._

"_Alright, but can I make a suggestion for one pokemon?" The pokemon watcher questioned, making Ash raise his brow in curiosity._

"_Hm, sure. Who did you have in mind?" The raven haired trainer pondered, very curious. Tracey had never recommended him a pokemon._

"_Well, I think you should bring Pidgeot as one of the pokemon you request," Tracey admitted, making Ash double-take._

"_Pidgeot?! But shouldn't she be in Viridian Forest?" The teen questioned. Tracey half smirked as he turned to the side of the room where the ranch was. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Pidgeot! Come here for a second!" Immediately, wings could be heard flapping and then stopping. After the wing flapping, the sound of talons on the floor began to grow closer, closer, until Pidgeot appeared before Tracey. Pidgeot looked at the screen, intrigued in why Tracey had called her. She nearly wanted to jump into the screen as she saw who it was._

_Ash had a similar reaction, wanting to hug the fluffy bird. After the wanting went away, only guilt remained. Ash put his head down, his hat shadow silhouetting his eyes. Pidgeot instantly realized that Ash felt bad for leaving her in Viridian Forest, and cawed to get his attention. The teen looked back to Pidgeot as the bird merely gave him the "don't worry" gesture and cooed. Ash fought back tears as Pidgeot was still able to forgive him after years of leaving her behind._

_Before things could get too emotional, Tracey noticed how Ash and Pidgeot stared at him, as if waiting for the pokemon watcher to send her to him. Tracey felt the gazes burn his soul and immediately voiced his question._

"_Alright, Pidgeot makes one. Who will the other five be?" he asked, as the two stopped giving him a stare. Ash had already chosen who he wanted before he called, so the teen did not have to think._

* * *

_After Ash had chosen his pokemon and received them from Tracey, the pokemon watcher realized he had no idea where Pidgeot's poke ball was._

"_Ash, do you have Pidgeot's poke ball?" The pokemon watcher asked, getting a nod from the raven haired trainer._

"_Send it to me, then I'll return Pidgeot to her ball and return her to you," Tracey said, as Ash once again nodded, although more excitedly. The teen took out an old looking poke ball from his backpack pocket and put it on the transporter. The ball instantly appeared in front of Tracey as he smiled and rubbed Pidgeot's head then returned her._

"_Here you go Ash!" Tracey exclaimed, as the ball was placed back on the transporter and appeared in front of the raven haired trainer, which was instantly swiped from the transporter and clamped onto Ash's belt._

"_Thanks Trace! Talk to you later!" Ash stated, as he ended the call with Tracey giving his goodbye's as well._

_Tracey chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm. He yawned as he realized he needed sleep, heading for the Corral to close up._

_Lily Of The Valley Pokemon Center_

_Ash walked away from the telephone and began his trek to the pokemon fields. He had not shown anyone of his friends and family his pokemon as he wanted them to stay secret until he used them in battles. While walking, his hand twitched to Pidgeot's ball from time to time. He wanted to release her so badly. He mentally chastised himself as he could not do it until he was at the field due to the bird's size._

_After basking in the sunlight and smiling brightly as the day was beautiful, Ash made it to one of the fields. He only wanted to release one pokemon for now, and that was Pidgeot. He felt the sudden lack of weight on his shoulder and remembered that Pikachu was snoozing in his backpack. He pondered whether or not to wake him up. He opened his backpack and looked at the cute mouse snoozing. He nudged Pikachu, who was mumbling soft 'pikas'. Pikachu groaned and pushed him away. Ash tried again as Pikachu continued to push him away, not wanting to get up or out of his backpack for that matter. Ash laughed softly at the mouse, and decided to let him sleep._

_The raven haired trainer set down his backpack as he grabbed a poke ball from his belt, enlarging it. He threw it into the air, while shouting, "Welcome Home! Pidgeot!"_

_The capsule opened with a white light escaping the center. The light sprouted onto the ground, creating a figure. This figure was the large bird herself. Pidgeot cawed and looked at Ash who was running to her. Pidgeot walked briskly on her talons, desperately wanting to meet Ash halfway._

_Both figures met, hugging tightly. Ash was so glad to have his first and most memorable bird back. It warmed his heart for the fact that Pidgeot had simply dismissed the fact that Ash had left her and how she still wanted to be his pokemon. Ash stroked her feathers, while Pidgeot nuzzled him._

_The giant bird had missed Ash dearly. After a handful of Pidgeotto had evolved, she was no longer needed at Viridian Forest and she then set to Professor Oak's Lab to try to find out where Ash was at the moment. After talking with Charizard and Bulbasaur, she found out Ash was in Sinnoh. She was saddened that Ash was not at Pallet right now, but was happy to at least know where he was and that he was safe. She cooed at him while they pulled away from the embrace._

_After the emotional reunion, Ash looked at Pidgeot in great intrigue, as the bird had put her wings down on the ground, gesturing for Ash to get on. Ash smiled brightly, grabbed his backpack with Pikachu still asleep, and got on her back. Ash rubbed Pidgeot's head and said, "So where we headed Pidge- WOAHH!" Ash exclaimed as the bird pokemon sped off into the air and soared like a jet plane. _

_The raven haired teen began to laugh as the thrills made him feel amazing. They swooped around clouds, sped through and around buildings, and even showed off in front of nearby children._

_The feeling was exhilarating. Like a roller coaster, the ups and downs were unexpected. The teen held on tight as Pidgeot did not slow down. It seemed natural to her. As if she was born to be a speedy flier. As fluent as an English Speaker, she seemed to glide and swerve with ease. __Pidgeot cooed in excitement at seeing Ash was happy. She wanted to ride around with him as he had only ridden her once, the day he left her to protect Viridian Forest._

_Still flying as graceful as ever, Ash noticed a shop near where they were flying. It was a food shop, with multiple delicacies from pasta to cake and had poffins and poke blocks as well._

"_Pidgeot, let's stop at that shop over there and grab a bite to eat," Ash suggested, getting a caw from the bird as they landed near the shop, causing many people to back away. Ash snickered at the fear of the size of Pidgeot. He hopped off Pidgeot and opened up his backpack. He noticed Pikachu was awake so he decided to fill the mouse in on everything that had transpired when he was asleep._

* * *

_After filling the rodent in, Pidgeot and Pikachu greeted each other in kind. Ash felt his stomach rumble, as the two pokemon's did too. They all shared a laugh and approached the shop man._

"_Hey, can I get some spaghetti with meatballs, lemonade, a ketchup bottle," Ash started, as Pikachu cooed at the choice. "And some poffins and poke blocks for flying type pokemon." Writing down his order, the shop man nodded and went inside to get the food. Ash wailed in pain as his stomach hungriness was going to kill him. He would not survive. The same went for Pidgeot and Pikachu. All three groaned as they felt their life taken away from them, all until..._

"_Food's ready. That will be 30 Poke," The shop man explained, holding the food, as all three figures stopped being over-dramatic and Ash payed for the food._

"_Hmm, where to sit?" The teen pondered as he scanned the area full of kids and adults of all ages._

"_Aha!" Ash exclaimed, finding the perfect table for eating outside. He noticed the table was surrounded by many other full tables, but did not mind it._

_The trio walked to the table, with Pikachu jumping for the ketchup bottle and Ash chuckling at his persistence. Ash noticed immediately how everyone stared at Pidgeot with amazement. Not like they were gazing for any wrong reason anyway, so it didn't bother him._

_Ash set down his food with his fries and gave the bottle of delicious ketchup to Pikachu, as he squealed and began to lick it up. Ash opened the poffins and poke blocks box and set them in a paper bowl provided by the shop man._

"_Here you go Pidgeot, eat up," Ash insisted, as he began to devour his spaghetti and meatballs, while slurping on his lemonade. Pidgeot laughed at her trainer's unchanged appetite. She dug into her own food, which she happened to like very much._

_After eating a scrumptious meal, Ash threw the trash away and both the teen and his mouse hopped back on Pidgeot. "Try to go a little slower this time, I don't want any of us to get sick." After nodding as they were all full, Pidgeot once again took off, but this time to the Pokemon Center._

_As they flew through the summer air, Pikachu lied down on Pidgeot's back, liking the soft feathers. Ash sighed in content, he hadn't flied like this in such a long time. All of his other birds were either too small or just not very agile in flying for long distances. Charizard was great and all but Pidgeot had something that the draconian pokemon didn't. Warm feathers._

_Continuing to fly at a nice pace, Ash called out to his bird, a soft smile on his face._

"_Hey Pidgeot," he murmured, as the bird cooed to him in curiosity._

"_Thanks for coming back," Ash whispered, rubbing her soft feathers as she cawed softly._

_If Ash knew pokemon speech, he would've heard 'Glad to be back' from the giant bird._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

Everyone present at the battlefield had a soft smile on their faces. The bond between Ash and Pidgeot has not been extinguished but just re-lit. It was beautiful. Ash rubbed Pidgeot's head as Barry snapped himself out of his thoughts.

"Alright, let's begin the match, your call Brock," Ash stated, breaking Brock out of his thoughts as well.

"Roserade vs Pidgeot begin!" he declared, throwing his hands down.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading, see ya!**


	6. New Bloom

**Hello, Jay1414 here with chapter six of Reason.**

**I hope you guys liked the little reunion between Ash and his first bird, Pidgeot. I had Tracey not know Pidgeot as she was left in Viridian Forest before Ash, Brock and Misty went to the Orange Islands.**

**By the way, this chapter will be all over the place but will also be finishing the battle.**

**Okay enough of my blabbering on to the chapter!**

"**Dialogue"**

**'thoughts/other speech'**

_'Mewtwo's speech'_

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_As they flew through the summer air, Pikachu lied down on Pidgeot's back, liking the soft feathers. Ash sighed in content, he hadn't flied like this in such a long time. All of his other birds were either too small or just not very agile in flying for long distances. Charizard was great and all but Pidgeot had something that the draconian pokemon didn't. Warm feathers._

_Continuing to fly at a nice pace, Ash called out to his bird, a soft smile on his face._

_"Hey Pidgeot," he murmured, as the bird cooed to him in curiosity._

_"Thanks for coming back," Ash whispered, rubbing her soft feathers as she cawed softly._

_If Ash knew pokemon speech, he would've heard 'Glad to be back' from the giant bird._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

_Everyone present at the battlefield had a soft smile on their faces. The bond between Ash and Pidgeot has not been extinguished but just re-lit. It was beautiful. Ash rubbed Pidgeot's head as Barry snapped himself out of his thoughts._

_"Alright, let's begin the match, your call Brock," Ash stated, breaking Brock out of his thoughts as well._

_"Roserade vs Pidgeot begin!" he declared, throwing his hands down._

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Blonde's Entrance Part Two!/The Bloom of Something New!**

"I'll start this one. Pidgeot use Aerial Ace!" Ash said, throwing his arm into the air.

"Pidgeo!" she cried as she soared high into the sky. Barry scowled as Aerial Ace could not miss.

"Roserade! Use Poison Powder!" The blonde retaliated, wanting to at least poison the bird, as the rose pokemon produced a powder of purple coloring.

"Nope, not happening! Stop the Aerial Ace and use Steel Wing to absorb the poison!" Ash shouted, making Barry wonder if that was even possible.

Pidgeot stopped in mid-flight, meters away from Roserade. Her wings became encased in steel and she crossed them over her chest, covering her whole front. The powder touched the wings and her wings turned purple. She had successfully absorbed the Poison Powder.

"What a technique!" Oak exclaimed in wonder. "Since Steel is immune to Poison, it makes sense that it's able to absorb it!"

"Unbelievable, I never knew Ash could think of something like this," Gary said, nodding his head. Ashy-boy was always real naive, but Gary knew he had grown.

"You go, Ash!" Dawn exclaimed, gleeful. She had no idea that Ash knew this technique.

'Nice technique Ash,' Brock thought to himself, seeing the look of disbelief on Barry's face. He inwardly chuckled at how Ash basked in the astonishment, feeling like a total bad-ass.

Ash decided to not stall the match and ordered, "Now! Poison Ace-Wing!" he ordered with a clenched fist. Pidgeot cawed in determination, swooping back to Roserade and striking the grass type fiercely with the poison-flying combo. Barry had no chance to counter as Pidgeot had the speed of a jet.

"Roserade!" she cried in pain, taking the super effective attack and falling down. Barry cried out in concern, wondering if he should just take out Roserade.

Seeing Roserade on the ground severely wounded, it hurt him deeply. He thought about how he got Roserade as a Budew, on the first day of his journey.

_**BARRY'S FLASHBACK:**_

_Barry was an only child. It made him always lonely as his mother had died when he was only eight. His only friend was Kenny. There was also a girl named Dawn who was nice, but he always strayed from her as she was always in a group of people with their families.(thus him forgetting her) _

_His weird personality made people stay away from him. Kenny seemed to not care about his personality, thus making Kenny his only friend. He was always fast on his feet, and impatient. His quirks made everyone annoyed by him. His dad was always busy with his work as Battle Tycoon, so he needed to take Barry along. Barry never really conversed with other kids as he was always with the Frontier Brains. This continued until he was able to leave on his journey at 14, unlike 10 in Kanto. _

* * *

"_Dad! It's time for me to go!" Barry called, grabbing his backpack. Palmer walked into the living room, holding a pokemon in his arms. Barry looked at the pokemon in amazement._

"_Wow! A Budew?" he questioned in amazement._

_Palmer chuckled, seeing the excited look in his eye._

"_Yes Barry, a Budew. But not just any Budew, your Budew. She's a girl," he explained, while Barry nearly fainted as he could not believe his dad was giving him a Budew._

"_Thanks dad!" Barry said in gratitude, taking the Budew and hugging his dad. Palmer laughed and hugged back, happy that his son was liking his gift for his 14__th__ birthday._

"_Happy Birthday Barry, make sure you come back for the Twinleaf Festival, alright?" The battle tycoon asked, nudging his shoulder. Barry grinned and stated, "You know it!"_

"_Well, thanks a lot dad! I'm on my journey to become the greatest!" The blonde teen yelled, hugging the Budew, making her squeal. He sprinted out the door, as Palmer smiled at the smoke cloud created from his run._

_Palmer closed the door, as Barry forgot to close it. He noticed something near the door, and realized that it was a letter. A letter from Barry's passed mother. He looked at the letter, opened it, read it, then put it down. 'Oh, Julia..' He turned back around and walked into his room, not wanting to think about her._

_The letter read:_

_**Dear Barry and Palmer,**_

_**I don't have much time left. The cancer has just gotten too much for me to bear. I'm sorry that I won't be there for when Barry begins his journey or to raise him anymore, but I want you to strive to become the best my little boy. No matter what happens, just know that your mother Julia is watching. I don't care if you don't become a Battle Frontier trainer like your father. Do what you love my son. Please don't feel sad that I am gone, because I am still fully alive in your heart. This goes for you too, Palmer. Just remember that I'll always be watching down on you, my loves.**_

_**Sincerely, your mother and wife, Julia.**_

_Palmer sat on the bed, caressing a picture of his passed wife. He sighed sadly, he had never been able to find anyone better than her. He hoped to Arceus that Barry would have a great journey, with no danger. 'Don't ever change Barry, for me and your mom's sake.'_

* * *

_After sprinting and getting tired, Barry stopped and looked at the pokemon in his arms. He noticed it smiling at him brightly, making him want to cry. He always wanted a friend. Kenny was nice but he barely saw him, leaving him alone and hopeless. He hugged the Budew tightly, declaring her his best friend on the spot. Budew squealed and hugged Barry back with her tiny arms._

"_Budew, from now on, you and I are best friends," he stated, wiping his eyes as he gradually pulled away. Budew nodded her head, cooing to Barry. Barry laughed, a happy and gleeful laugh. He had finally found his best friend, and best friends they became._

* * *

_After getting Piplup and his other pokemon to collect badges, Barry always had Budew with him, never sending her to his dad. They had good, bad, and sad times as well. Barry learned of the group of Roselia that hurt his Budew since it would not evolve when he came back to Twinleaf for the festival. Budew, being a Roserade at that time, defeated the group of Roselia singlehandedly in hate. After the match, Barry hugged the grass type, which she returned._

_The rest of his pokemon became his best friends as well, each with different ways of showing it._

_Before Barry landed on the island of Lily of the Valley, he promised something to all of his pokemon._

* * *

"_Guys," He started, making everyone look at him. "Just know that I don't care if we lose. I want us to win obviously but I don't mind if we don't always get to win. I will always be proud of you all no matter what happens. Even if we lose at the Lily of the Valley Conference, it won't matter. Do you know why?" He finished, as everyone looked at him and shook their heads._

_Barry chuckled and stated, "Because you're my best friends." As he said that, every pokemon present, from Roserade to Skarmory, grew teary eyed. They all hugged their trainer in a huge group hug, which Barry returned. He laughed, the same laugh he laughed when he first got Budew. The laugh of pure happiness, and glee._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

'No, I can't let Roserade get hurt any more. It hurts me too much to see her in so much pain. Pidgeot is obviously more experienced than she is. I can't let this continue,' Barry thought, feeling sadness and worry build up inside him.

"Alright Pidgeot! Now use-" "STOP!" Barry yelled, as Ash and Pidgeot both stopped and looked at Barry.

"What's wrong Barry?" Ash asked. Barry's eyes were covered by a shadow as he stated, "No more. I forfeit Roserade."

Ash looked at Barry in shock. "But, why?"

Barry sighed, and stated, "I can't stand seeing her so hurt. Even besides that everyone can see that Roserade is clearly mismatched," he admitted, while Ash thought about it.

Roserade only took one combination move from Pidgeot and was already having trouble to stand up. Ash felt immense guilt grow up inside him. Pidgeot was an experienced pokemon that has been a Pidgeot for 5 years. 5 damn years! He felt so stupid at thinking that Roserade could battle Pidgeot. Not only did Ash have the type advantage, Barry had only started his journey last year. There was no way Pidgeot was able to fight Roserade fairly. This realization made Ash realize that he shouldn't use Pidgeot against Barry's pokemon at all. It was like sending out a Charizard against a measly Bulbasaur. It was just unfair.

"You're right Barry. I'm sorry," The raven haired teen said softly, feeling terrible. He looked over at Brock and nodded. Brock also understood about how this was a bad match-up to begin with. If this was the Ash he knew from Kanto-Hoenn, he would've wanted to continue no matter what. He smiled at Ash's maturity.

"Barry has forfeited Roserade!" Brock exclaimed, as Barry nodded his silent thanks to Ash. The blonde picked up Roserade, cradling her in his arms. Roserade cooed sadly, feeling weak. Barry merely smiled softly and stated, "Don't worry about the match, you're still my best friend," he murmured, as they shared a small hug. Barry returned the rose pokemon. He cradled her poke ball, before putting it on his belt and grabbing a new one.

Everyone once again smiled softly, this seemed more like a battle of feels than of pokemon.

Dawn smiled at Barry's care of Roserade and of Ash's sportsmanship. It was heartwarming to see two trainers who acted very obnoxious to each other be so kind and honest to one another.

Brock looked at Ash, as he noticed his companion was contemplating something.

"Something on your mind?" The Pewter City native asked, as Ash snapped out of his thoughts. The teen chuckled nervously and merely said, "Just thinking of which pokemon to use. I think Pidgeot is not suitable for this match," he admitted, as Pidgeot squawked in protest.

"Sorry but you're just too experienced for this match," Ash said, stroking his bird's feathers. He though about how he used Sceptile, but realized how Sceptile barely beat Hitmonlee. That Hitmonlee must have been trained long before Barry caught him. Plus, to be able to be caught by Barry in Sinnoh, this meant Hitmonlee had to have been given to Barry by someone, thus the experience.

Ash got out of his thoughts and returned Pidgeot. "I forfeit Pidgeot," Ash stated, as Barry looked at him in disbelief.

"Why are you forfeiting Pidgeot, Ash?" he asked, as the raven haired teen merely smiled.

"I'm forfeiting her because she is just too experienced for this battle Barry. She's been a Pidgeot since I was eleven. I want to win but I don't want to win unfairly. Do you understand?" Ash questioned, merely getting a nod.

He wanted to protest but the blonde knew Ash was right. Pidgeot could have easily swept his team of three if she wanted. Barry sighed and enlarged his third ball.

Brock nodded at hearing the second forfeit. "Both trainers have forfeited their pokemon! Thus making it 2-1 on Ash's side!" he declared, raising his arms and lowering them to both sides.

"Trainer, released your next/final pokemon!" Brock called, as both trainers nodded.

Ash grabbed a poke ball off his belt, enlarging it. He hoped that this final/next battle would be fair. He decided to use one of his Sinnoh pokemon for this.

Barry threw the ball of his starter after Roserade, shouting a call of "Go Empoleon!"

Ash threw his capsule simultaneously, this time shouting "Go! Gible!"

Both capsules opened, releasing the pokemon inside.

"Empoleon!" Empoleon stood calmly, staring down the other pokemon.

"Gible!" Gible jumped up and bit Ash on his head, making him almost fall as he tried to get him off of his bitten cranium. He set him down and scolded him on biting him on his head. After Gible agreed to not do it in battles, he turned around and glared at Empoleon.

"Empoleon vs Gible! Begin!" Brock declared, throwing his arms down.

"Alright! Gible use Dig!" Ash ordered, starting the match immediately. Gible dug deep underground, going out of sight,

"Hm, nice try Ash. Empoleon, bring him back up with Earthquake!" Barry exclaimed, as Ash cursed almost outwardly.

"Gible get out of there!" The raven haired teen shouted somewhat louder than usual, trying to make sure Gible heard him.

It seemed he did as the hole known as Gible began to rise until he was hit with the Earthquake and shot upwards to Ash. Gible landed on his feet, not too hurt.

Barry called his attack this time. "Empoleon! Charge in with Surf and then follow it up with Ice Beam!" Empoleon nodded and unleashed a wave under itself and began to ride it.

"Gible go inside the Surf and use Rock Smash!" Ash retaliated. Gible sprinted into the Surf, not too damaged since he was part dragon type. His right paw became encased in white energy and he drove it into Empoleon's stomach, making it double over and cause the Surf to dissipate. Empoleon shot the Ice Beam as it was close, hitting Gible only slightly as the penguin was hunched over.

Gible cried in protest as his left paw was frozen solid. Ash cursed himself for not teaching Gible Flamethrower. He instantly got an idea that might work as Gible's 'smashing his paw into the floor' was not working.

"Gible, use Rock Smash on your other paw to break the ice!" The teen ordered, as Gible stopped his paw smashing and used Rock Smash on his other paw, effectively destroying the ice. While this was happening, Empoleon had risen from it's hunched over position and looked to Barry for instruction.

"Alright, Empoleon use Steel Wing!" Empoleon sprinted toward Gible, who was still checking out his cold paw. Ash noticed how close Empoleon was to Gible, and gave his command.

"Gible intercept with Dragon Pulse!" Ash ordered quickly. The little dragon snapped out of his thoughts and charged up an orb of draconian energy, shooting it at Empoleon as the penguin crashed into him. Gible was then hit by the Steel Wing, making him stagger backwards in a daze.

"Now, Hydro Pump!" Barry retaliated, wanting to counter quickly.

Empoleon charged up the water attack and shot it at Gible, who took it and was soaked. Since he was a dragon type, it did not do too much. Although, being part ground type, it did more than it should have to a dragon type.

Ash looked at Gible, who seemed alright but slightly hurt from that powerful water attack. He waited for the dragon to get up before giving his next order.

"Gible! Compose yourself and charge in with a Rock Smash!" Gible shook himself to get rid of the excess water and charged in with his left paw once again encased in white energy. Barry waited for Gible to come close and gave his next order.

"Empoleon match Gible with Drill Peck!" The blonde ordered, as the penguin nodded it's consent and charged energy in it's beak and leaped off the ground, spinning around in a circle, becoming a spinning top and launching itself directly to Gible.

Gible socked the penguin in the stomach once more, before getting hit by the spinning penguin. Gible reeled back on his back fin, feeling more injured.

Empoleon stopped the attack and landed on it's feet once again hunched over from the Rock Smash.

Both pokemon recovered after a few moments and stared each other down. Ash looked at Barry, who was watching Empoleon recover. He had indeed grown as a trainer. He wondered if they would face at the Conference. He inwardly shrugged.

"Okay, Empoleon use Metal Claw and then attack with Hydro Cannon!" Barry commanded, going in for the offense this time. The emperor penguin sprinted once more at Gible, it's left flipper encased in steel.

"Gible, escape the attack with Dig!" Ash yelled, as the little dragon nodded and dug underground. Empoleon stopped his sprint as Barry chuckled. "Again Ash? Earthquake," Barry ordered, as Empoleon was about to use the attack before Ash stated, "Draco Meteor!"

"What?!" Barry exclaimed, seriously thinking on how this would affect the field.

"Ash don't be insane!" Brock remarked, also pondering on how this could destroy the field.

Gible accepted the order and charged up the orange orb in his throat. The orb grew bigger and bigger until he released it, sending the beam out of the ground along with several rocks. The rocks began to hit Empoleon repeatedly as the attack was relentless.

"Empoleon cover yourself with your Protect!" Barry called desperately. The penguin tried it's best to protect itself but continued to get hit. Everyone was watching Empoleon get pummeled by rocks that they did not notice Gible rise out of the ground. The beam that Gible shot exploded into the air, sending the orbs of draconian energy all over the battlefield.

"Yes! You perfected Draco Meteor!" Ash exclaimed in glee. The orbs stopped exploding after a while, as everyone looked to Empoleon. Ash noticed how this could work as a combination move and silently named it Dig-O Meteor.

"Poleon..." After taking one too many hits, it's eyes had become swirls.

"Empoleon!" Barry ran to the penguin. He put his arm under Empoleon's head to lift his head up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stroking it's crown. The penguin pokemon nodded as it closed it's eyes to rest.

Barry smiled softly and stated, "Good job, take a nice rest," he said, returning the emperor penguin.

The blonde stood up, noticing how messed up the field was. Craters littered the battle field along with rocks scattered around. That was a truly gruesome attack.

Ash rubbed his dragon on the head, while Gible bit his head. He laughed in happiness but also pain. The teen took off Gible from his head and set him down.

"Good job Gible!" Ash praised, returning the dragon. He looked at Brock, who was still marveling at the attack. He broke himself out from his thoughts and declared the result.

"Empoleon is unable to battle! Since Barry has lost all three pokemon that makes Ash the winner!"

Barry walked up to Ash with his hand out. "That was a great battle Ash."

Ash grinned and put out his own hand and they shook. "Yeah, it really was."

They walked to the group of people watching the match, and sat down with them at the stands. Brock joined them as they all sat and conversed for a while.

* * *

After the match, everyone entered the Pokemon Center before leaving to do different things. Dawn went to do some shopping at the Poke-Mall while Brock went with Gary, Delia, and Professor Oak to explore the exhibit on the island. Ash stayed to heal his pokemon along with Barry.

After healing, Ash remembered he had nothing to do as Mewtwo wouldn't come get him until tomorrow. He looked over at Barry who was walking out of the Pokemon Center. He called out to him, making the blonde look back.

"Where you headed?" he asked, getting an immediate response from Barry.

"Oh, I'm headed to the forest around here. Need to do some training for the Conference, you know?" He said, while Ash nodded.

"We'll I'll see you at the conference," Ash stated, holding out his hand. Barry responded mutually and they once again shook hands before departing in different directions. Barry to the forest to train, and Ash to find something to do.

Barry began his daily mental telling of his battle to his deceased mother, which he did every day.

'Hey mom. How are you today? I'm doing fine. I had a battle with one of my rivals named Ash. I lost, but I did not fret since I remembered what you told me and dad in that letter. No matter what happens, just remember that your mother Julia is watching. Hehe, I think of those words a lot throughout the day. It gives me courage. I just wish that you were here, that you were see-able to me. But alas, that's not the case. I miss you so much, and I hope you're doing fine up there. Love, Barry. Your son.' He soon finished, wiping his eyes and continued to the forest, a bright smile on his face.

* * *

Ash walked around, with Pikachu on his head. He wondered about what to do as everyone else was busy. He thought about following one of them, and eventually decided on Dawn, as well, uh, he just wanted to? No other reason at all.

Not having a clue where it was, Ash began to search, looking for the Poke-Mall. They had only saw it when they were walking from where the boat dropped them off. He continued to search, before giving up and looking for someone to ask directions.

After looking around for anyone near him, he finally found someone, an elderly woman who was buying some sushi from a shop, although only seen from her back, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around as Ash nearly fainted from shock. This was no ordinary elderly woman. This was Bertha of the Elite Four!

"Bertha of the Elite Four?!" he exclaimed, while Bertha quickly shushed him. She didn't want any publicity and always made sure no one knew who she was.

"Hush child. I don't want to become swarmed by civilians," she scolded, making Ash chuckle nervously.

"Anyway, what did you want?" Bertha questioned, as Ash quickly recovered.

"Oh, I wanted directions to the Poke-Mall please, if you know where it is," he admitted, as Bertha pointed north.

"Continue north and you'll see a huge sign that portrays the words 'Poke-Mall'," she informed him, while Ash nodded his thanks, beginning to make his way there.

"Oh and by the way, Ash," Bertha stated, making Ash stop and look to her. "Good luck in the Sinnoh League, I'm rooting for you. So are the other three Elite four, even Cynthia. We all admire the acts you have done in not only as a trainer but as a human. Please, don't let us down," she praised, patting his back, making Ash feel _so_ confident. The whole Sinnoh League Elite Four and Champion were rooting for him?! What an honor!

He saluted her, feeling totally bad-ass. "You bet! I'll make you all proud!" he practically yelled, before sprinting north, throwing a fist in the air.

Bertha laughed at that. "Children and their energy." She turned back around and received her sushi.

* * *

Ash finally made it to the Poke-Mall, marveling at the size. From Clothing Stores to Electronics, this mall had almost anything you could want. Walking inside, he looked around like a kid in a candy store. Pikachu had the same reaction, wondering how much ketchup there was in this store.

Ash stopped walking, making Pikachu look at him oddly. Why did Ash stop? The mouse hoped they weren't leaving.

"Pikachu," Ash stated, frozen in place. Pikachu answered with a small "Pi?"

"How. Are. We. Going. To. Find. Dawn?!" he exclaimed, making Pikachu also freeze. They were in a giant mall, how the hell where they going to find Dawn?! Ash groaned simultaneously to his mouse.

Ash walked to a map, and began to search Clothing Stores. If his blue haired companion was anywhere, it must be the Clothing Stores. He found where they were and got on an elevator.

One waiting in the elevator, singing the "Gotta Catch'em All" elevator music, and more intense waiting later, Ash made it to the Clothing Store area. He groaned once again as the teen realized he would have to search store for store.

He began his search in the first store, then went on and on until he made it to one store in particular called "Milotic's Galore". Walking in, and politely declining the clothing offers for the umpteenth time, he searched through the store and saw a head of blue hair above the clothes. This hair had to be Dawn's. If it wasn't, he was going to be really annoyed.

The raven haired teen slowly approached the head, and after seeing it was indeed Dawn, decided to scare her. Ash quickly whispered to Pikachu to get into his arms so he was unseen from above. Pikachu nodded and jumped off his head and into his arms.

They both snickered at how Dawn would react. Ash ducked under clothing lines and sprinted silently when she wasn't looking to get closer. He saw how she was looking for dresses and not even looking away. It was a perfect opportunity as Dawn thought he was at the Pokemon Center. She would never expect this. He noticed her lift up a long dress and knew that now was the time.

"RAH!" he shouted, hands out in front of him as if he were a monster. Dawn screamed, pushing the dress in front of her while stepping back. Since the dress was long, she accidentally tripped from the dress getting under her feet and landed in Ash's arms, who was able to catch her as Pikachu's speed let him escape being squished.

After catching her, Ash looked at Dawn, who was looking at him as well, her expression of shock only lasting a couple seconds. They were literally centimeters away. Ash was holding her by under her thighs and behind her back while Dawn held his shoulders. Ash never realized how beautiful her eyes were. Beautiful sapphires shining brightly to his own auburn eyes. Dawn also had never truly stared into Ash's warm chocolate eyes, shining greatly as well. Pikachu looked at the two in confusion, not knowing why they were just staring at each other.

The distance between them began to shorten, as their instincts began to take over. Neither had control of their bodies, it was just natural. Shorter and shorter in distance, while their eyes began to become half lidded, and then closed. A centimeter away, they almost collided until...

"Pika?!" Pikachu exclaimed, making them separate immediately and for Ash to set Dawn down.

They both chuckled nervously, red faced, while looking away from one another. 'Just what was that?! Did we almost kiss?!' They both thought in pure amazement.

Pikachu merely looked at them in pure confusion. Since pokemon nuzzled one another as a form of loving, he had no idea what they were about to do. Nor did the mouse know why they were so embarrassed and red as his delicacy known as ketchup.

"Ahem. So anyway, what are doing here Ash?" Dawn asked, after calming down from the almost kiss. Ash broke himself out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"Well, I had nothing to do so I came to find you here so we could hang out for a while," he explained, while Dawn became flustered. 'Hang out? As in a date?'

"B-By hang out, did you mean d-" she questioned before Ash cut her off.

"Uh! No! I mean! Maybe! Wait! Gah! I don't know," he sighed, just as flustered. Dawn seemed to grow an expression of interest, as if thinking of something.

"How about, we hang out and see how it turns out?" she asked with a slight blush, as Ash thought about it and nodded, his cheeks somewhat red as well.

"Yeah, that seems alright. Are you done at this store?" he pondered, as Dawn shook her head and picked up the dress she dropped.

Ash groaned as he realized he would have to wait. He sat on the heavenly thing to all clothing stores known as The Stool. Plopping down and waiting, he took out his Pokedex and read an article on the pokemon Pikachu while waiting until a dress landed on his face. He put his Dex away at realizing she wanted his opinion.

"How's this dress?" she asked hesitantly, staring at him with alluring eyes. Ash thought about how this dress looked; A pure sapphire dress, with a golden ribbon which went from the top of the left shoulder to the right hip.

Ash had never really opinionated on clothes, so he decided to give his best shot.

"It looks really nice. Why don't you try it on?" he urged, as Dawn nodded, took the dress and walked to the dressing rooms. Ash waited, patiently this time, for the teen to get back.

After about five minutes of waiting, Dawn came out. While walking, Ash did not see her as the dressing rooms were behind where he sat. She walked past him before turning for him to see her.

"How's it look?" she questioned, twirling around. Ash looked up from his Pokedex,

"Looks-" He started before he got a good look at her. To be honest, she looked gorgeous. The dress wasn't tight nor loose but it showed that Dawn was very curvy. Ash marveled at not her body but her face. It might have not been much of a difference from before, but the dress really brought out the sapphire in her eyes as the dress was sapphire as well. All she needed were some flats and she would look perfect for a dinner party. 'Where did that last thought come from?'

"Looks what?" she asked, feeling rather nervous.

"Gorgeous," he stated, with a small smile.

"The dress looks gorgeous?" she questioned, not believing that he was referring to her.

Ash decided to take a risk, and told her what he really thought. "No. _You_, look gorgeous," he admitted, making her blush furiously.

"I-I do?" Dawn asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, honest," Ash responded, hand over his heart as Pikachu nodded with a "Pi-ka!"

"Oh, well thanks a lot Ash!" she chirped, hugging him tightly. Surprised at first at the sudden action but wiping it off as he enjoyed the feeling, Ash smiled and hugged back, which he could do since Pikachu was sitting on the ground instead of his shoulder or in his arms.

He couldn't lie. He felt warm, really warm. Fuzzy even. Like he just had some chicken noodle soup. This feeling, was the reason he had not released her from the hug. It was so enticing that he just didn't want to lose it.

She felt the same way. As if Cyndaquil had given her a light flamethrower. She felt not hot, but warm. This feeling was one she had never felt before. It made her glad Ash had come here and scared her. If Ash had not come, she would have never felt this fuzzy feeling she was feeling right now. This was why she did not let go either. To not lose the feeling.

Pikachu did not do anything about this as it seemed they were nuzzling. He felt happy that they were nuzzling. It meant Ash had found a mate! He then began to think about Buneary. She obviously wanted to become his mate but the mouse just wasn't ready. He noticed the two still nuzzling, and wondered whether or not to interrupt them. It seemed he didn't have to as they both separated.

Ash grinned at her while she grinned back.

"So are you buying the dress?" he asked. Dawn nodded after a moment, before looking at the tag and gasping.

"No, I can't buy this. It's 98 Poke. That's way too expensive," she told him, making Ash merely chuckle.

"Don't worry. I'll buy it for you then," Ash stated, as Dawn was quick to protest.

"No! I can't let you pay so much for me!" she exclaimed, as Ash smiled at how she wouldn't take something expensive if someone offered.

"Don't worry about the price. I have earned a lot of money from all the tournaments I've entered so I have plenty to pay for it. Plus, you're my friend and I don't mind spending money on you," he admitted. Although Dawn was touched at what he said, she still didn't want him to buy it.

After a lot of persuading, Dawn sighed and just nodded.

"Alright! Now get changed and I'll buy it," Ash told her as Dawn went back to the dressing rooms.

After once again waiting patiently, Dawn came back in regular clothing with the dress in her hand. Ash took the dress while Pikachu jumped on his head and, with Dawn, went to the cashier.

"I'd like to buy this please," Ash explained to the female clerk, who took the dress, scanning it and putting it in a bag. "I'm assuming that you're buying it for your girlfriend there, correct?" The clerk asked teasingly, smiling at the two. Both of them blushed, before denying it simultaneously.

"Err, she's not my girlfriend. But yes I'm buying it for her," Ash said as he handed the clerk his Pokedex. "Take it out of the Kanto Bank Funds please," he insisted, while the clerk nodded, still giving Dawn that knowing look. She handed the bag to Ash, while the two teenagers and the one pokemon walked out of the shop. As soon as they got out of the store, Ash handed the bag to Dawn, who took it while silently thanking him.

They walked in silence, not conversing as the clerk's statement turned them really awkward. Dawn didn't have to courage to admit the fact that she'd enjoy having Ash as a boyfriend, nor did Ash, although he didn't know it just yet.

Ash thought of a way to break the silence and found one after a while.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"How about some dinner?" Ash asked, as Dawn stopped walking.

"Sure!" she chirped, instantly becoming herself again. Ash smiled brightly at her, making her heart flutter.

"Alright, seen any good restaurants here?" The teen questioned, while Dawn began to think. 'There was that pizza place, then that burger place, and that taco stand. Hmm. What about that other restaurant? Olive Oddish? Perfect!' she thought, while clapping her hands together.

"I did! Let's go to Olive Oddish!" she exclaimed, while Ash nodded, although not having an idea of what the restaurant was.

"Okay, let's hope they serve good food then," he told her, as they began to walk out of the Clothing Store section and to the Restaurant section.

Entering Olive Oddish, Ash could see it was pretty fancy. He marveled at the paintings of past times and of the nicely dressed waiters. They walked to the front of the restaurant. A man was there to greet them.

"Two?" The man questioned in a fancy voice, holding up two finger, while the teens nodded. "Follow me."

They followed the man until he led them to a table. "A waiter will be here soon to assist you," The man told them as he walked away.

They sat down, with Pikachu jumping onto the table. Ash grabbed a menu while Dawn did the same.

"Hmm. Everything looks so good. I want a burger, but I always get a burger everywhere," Ash wondered, looking through the pages.

"I think I want the Chicken Avocado BLT Salad, it looks tasty!" Dawn told the teen, who frowned at her healthy choice.

"Why not get something a little more meaty?" he suggested, while his blue haired companion scowled.

"But it has chicken!" Dawn shot back.

Ash narrowed his eyes as she would not choose anything unhealthy if she tried. He sighed but remembered that he couldn't stop her from wanting to eat healthy.

"Alright, fine. I guess I can't prevent you from eating something healthy," he admitted in defeat.

Dawn smiled at how he was willing to drop it so easily. Normally, they would argue for about 5 minutes until one of them would get fed up. Seems this time was different.

"Thanks Ash. So what are you getting?" she questioned, while the teen merely pointed to an item on the menu.

"Lasagna with a side of choice," he read from the menu, while Pikachu cried at not getting anything.

"Hush Pikachu. I'm getting you some pokemon food with some ketchup added on top, alright?" Ash told the mouse, who squealed and hugged his trainer. The raven haired teen laughed at the mouse's antics, as did Dawn.

The two teens conversed about random things from pokemon to favorite desserts until a waiter came.

"Hi, what can I get you?" The waiter asked, as Ash began to speak.

"I'll have the Lasagna with Garlic Bread and some pokemon food with ketchup added to it," he told the waiter, who nodded.

"And you, young lady?" The man questioned, looking at Dawn.

"Can I have the Chicken Avocado BLT Salad?" she responded, while the waiter wrote down the orders.

"To drink?" The man asked, holding up his notepad.

"Fruit Punch."

"Water, please."

"Alright. I will return with your orders momentarily," The waiter told them, taking their menus and walking away.

The two merely looked at each other, not really having anything to say. For some reason, the uneasiness returned, turning the situation awkward once again.

Ash thought about what happened at the shop. The moment when he caught her and the almost kiss, the lengthy hug they shared, the accusing of Dawn being his girlfriend, they made him feel warm. It was as if, he enjoyed them. Could he enjoy them? Did he?

Meanwhile, Dawn thought similarly. She thought about how warm she felt during the hug. She knew it had to do with her affection for Ash, but how far did it go?

"I feel, warm," Ash admitted, making Dawn look at him.

"Me too," she replied. "But what is this feeling?"

"I don't know," Ash told her, scratching his head. "I've never felt anything like this before."

"Well, when did you first start feeling it?" she asked, while Ash began to think.

"I felt it first when, when I caught you at the clothing store after scaring you. Just having you so close to me, that almost kiss, the hug, the accusing of you being my girlfriend, it all made me warm." He finished, as the teenager felt herself heat up. 'So he feels it too?'

"I guess, I feel the same? I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling at those times as well. It's not so easy to explain but it was a feeling that I yearned for," She admitted honestly, while they both went silent again, while loud in their thoughts.

Pikachu was just completely puzzled. Why were Ash and his new mate so silent? Shouldn't they be rejoicing? He noticed how they just completely stopped speaking. This made him think of something. If Ash and Dawn were mates, did this mean Buneary was going to have to become _his_ mate? 'No, I'm not ready,' he thought to himself, slightly shaking his head.

After a long, tense silence, the waiter finally came back.

"Here's your Lasagna with Garlic Bread and Fruit Punch." The man said, placing the plate on the table facing Ash, who was silent.

"Your Pikachu's pokemon food with ketchup added," The waiter told them next, placing the bowl of food in front of the still pondering mouse.

"And last but not least, the Chicken Avocado BLT Salad and Water for the lady." He finished, placing the plate in front of Dawn, who was also still silent.

"Thank you. Pika," They said in unison.

The waiter walked away as the trio began to eat. Silence remained the main thing as no one spoke. The teens constantly glanced at one another when they thought the other wasn't looking. After glancing for the umpteenth time, they finally locked eyes. They stared, not saying a word. Neither of them had the courage to speak up after finding out the way they felt, the warm feeling, was mutual.

It was something quite unusual to see. Two teens staring at each other in a locked gaze, while eating. Simply gazing, not saying anything.

Ash tapped his fingers on the table lightly, trying to get himself less flustered. Dawn merely fixed her scarf, feeling warmer. Ash continued to look at her, while Dawn did the same. This seemed to never end. The never ending stare without any words exchanged. The stare had no emotion, nothing of the sort. It was more like a blank stare.

Finishing the dinner that they didn't really taste, the waiter came back with the bill. After Ash payed the bill, the trio walked out of the restaurant, not looking at each other directly but exchanging glances once in a while.

After not speaking for nearly 40 minutes from starting their meals to leaving the restaurant, Ash decided to speak up.

"Want dessert?" he asked, as Dawn looked at him completely.

"Sure," she responded, smiling lightly.

"Okay, then let's go to that ice cream parlor over there," he told her, pointing to their right.

She nodded as they entered the parlor. It was a nice, mostly white parlor. Signs of ice creams and toppings were posted on boards around the store. From kids to adolescents and adults, this place was lively but it wasn't too full.

The trio walked to the front counter and waited in line. They looked at the menu, looking to see what each one of them wanted.

"Pikachu, you want anything?" The teen asked his mouse, who pointed to a small vanilla cone. "Pi."

"Alright, what do you want Dawn?" Ash asked next, as his female companion cocked her head to the side in thought with a finger on her lip.

"I'll get... the Sherbet Brownie Sundae," she answered, while Ash raised an eyebrow at how big it was.

"It's huge!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, although not loud enough to be heard by anyone else.

"Well, how about we share it?" she offered with a smile. Ash hummed before nodding.

"Okay, that sounds fine. But can one scoop be vanilla while the other is sherbet?" he suggested, matching her smile.

"Yeah, that's alright," Dawn answered her companion. They continued to converse, much better than before, while waiting in line to order.

Finally getting to the front, Dawn decided to order this time.

"Hi, can I get the Sherbet Brownie Sundae with one scoop of sherbet and one scoop of vanilla?" she ordered, while the woman at the register nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Oh, and a small vanilla cone."

"Okay, that'll be 11 poke," The woman told her after entering the item's names into the register and adding them together. Dawn nodded, about to take out her money, before Ash gave the woman 11 poke from his pocket.

"Ash! I was going to pay this time. You already payed for my dress and for dinner," she whispered to him, pouting slightly.

"Don't worry Dawn! I'm the one taking you out anyway, right?" he whispered back, grinning.

"Aww, fine!" she whined, pouting even more. Ash chuckled at seeing her all pouty. It was cute. 'Wait what?'

The woman at the register handed them the sundae, along with Pikachu's cone.

"I think we should eat outside, like that bench over there," Dawn told the raven haired teen, pointing ahead. He nodded as they walked outside of the parlor and to a bench near the center of the mall. They sat down with Dawn setting her bag on the ground and Ash sitting next to her with Pikachu on the floor next to the bag. Ash held the sundae while Pikachu devoured his vanilla cone.

"Wait," Dawn said, "How are we going to eat this together without a table?" Ash laughed at that, setting down the sundae next to him, and merely grabbed Dawn's hands, making her blush, pleasantly surprised at the sudden action.

"Simple," he stated, "You just hold this side of the sundae with one hand and I hold the other end." He finished, grinning at his companion.

"Oh, duh. How stupid of me," Dawn responded. Ash merely rubbed her hand and said, "Don't worry about that. Now, let's dig in!"

After finishing their scrumptious desserts, the trio of Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu, decided it was time to go back to the Pokemon Center.

"I think it's time we go back to the others," Ash said, making Dawn slightly disappointed.

Ash noticed the disappointment on her face and questioned her. "Why are you disappointed?" he asked in genuine concern, rubbing her shoulder. Her expression immediately changed into a fake smile. "Oh, it's nothing, no need to worry!" she assured him, chuckling nervously.

The raven haired teen was not convinced. Dawn sighed and came clean.

"Okay, fine. I'm disappointed because I've had so much fun with you today and I don't want it to end," she admitted with an embarrassed sigh, lowering her head slightly down. Ash lightly grabbed her chin, bringing up her head to look up at him. He caressed her cheek, smiling at how soft it was. 'Where is all this boldness coming from?'

"Don't worry about that. There's no reason to be disappointed. You know why?" he asked, as Dawn shook her head, gazing into his eyes.

"Why?" she asked softly. Ash gave her the brightest grin she had ever seen, before stating, "We can do this again anytime, alone if you'd like." He finished, making Dawn immediately happy. She grinned back at him and nodded.

"That sounds great!" she chirped, while Ash laughed, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her along, making her blush once again.

* * *

They began their trek back to the Pokemon Center. Ash passed by Bertha once again, who teased them of 'young love', successfully making them red once again. They continued to converse while walking, really enjoying their time together.

Walking into the Pokemon Center, Ash checked his Pokedex clock. 9:45 pm. They suspected that everyone else was in bed.

"Dawn, where are our rooms?" he asked the teen, who merely gave a "follow me" gesture. He nodded, following Dawn to the rooms section of the Pokemon Center. They chatted softly while climbing up the stairs, making sure not to be too loud as they didn't want to bother anyone who was trying to sleep.

They continued to walk until they made it to three doors. Dawn pointed to the one on the left, 263. "That's yours and Brock's." Then to the middle, 264. "That's Gary's and Professor Oak's." Then finally to the right, 265. "And that's mine and your mom's." Ash nodded to the directions and began to walk to his room. At least he tried to before Dawn grabbed him by his shoulder. He turned around to look at her, confused by her expression.

She smiled brightly at him, before stating, "Goodnight, Ash. Thanks for the great time, I loved it." She kissed him on the cheek, before retreating into her room, holding her bag to her heart and basically skipping to her room, humming softly.

Ash stayed frozen. That kiss felt like he was just put inside an oven. He felt the cheek she kissed. It was as if he could feel the hotness coming from his cheek. The sparks. He continued to stay still in place, hand on his cheek, before Pikachu got annoyed and smacked him with his tail. Ash cried in pain from the hard hit, while mentally happy that Pikachu didn't shock him this time.

"Ah! Okay, okay, I'm going now," Ash told the mouse, who was snickering. He glared at the rodent and opened the door to his room. He noticed Brock was asleep. He wondered if Brock could help him with this "feeling". He shrugged and changed into his nightwear. After entering the bathroom and brushing his teeth, he got into bed with his furry mouse starter.

Now, after this day, Ash had three things to accomplish. One, was to train with Mewtwo, Tyranitar and Latias and his other 12 pokemon to become the best they can. Two, was to win the Sinnoh League to prove to the Sinnoh Elite Four and Champion that they weren't wrong in rooting for him. Three, was to find out just what this feeling was that he had for Dawn. He smiled at remembering the cheek kiss. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

"Goodnight Pikachu," Ash murmured, stroking the mouse's fur. Pikachu cooed to him before curling up to sleep. Ash smiled softly, facing the ceiling. 'And goodnight to you too, Dawn.'

He closed his eyes and fell into a blissful sleep.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**I hope you like how I gave Barry some back-story. It was sad, I know. But since his mom is never mentioned, it's possible she could be deceased.**

**I hope you enjoyed how I had Ash not be so oblivious. He's 16 so he has to be a lot less dense.**

**Review if you want, and I appreciate constructive criticism.**

**I try to update as much as possible.**

**No flames please.**

**Until next time, bye!**


	7. New Bloom: Part Two

**Hey, Jay1414 here with my latest installment to my story, Reason.**

**Just a heads up, a lot of Pearlshipping in this chapter.**

**Oh, just so you readers know, Pearlshipping is not my main/only ship.**

**I like a lot of the main ships, besides Contestshipping. It's just, not my cup of tea. Ikarishipping is also something I really don't favor.**

**I enjoy a lot of unpopular shippings like Pokesilvershipping for example. If you don't know what that is, it's Ash x Lyra.**

**Poffleshipping has also gotten my interest as Miette stated to Serena in XY026 that "if she didn't tell Ash how she felt, she (Miette) would tell Ash how she herself felt". This indirectly states that Miette feels something for Ash.**

**To advertise Poffleshipping, I recommend reading ****_A Sweet Surprise_**** by ****_Articfreezer_****. It's a pretty long one-shot that I recently read.**

**Other than that, Outburstshipping, Othelloshipping and Furthershipping are other unpopular ships I enjoy. I have way more, but I'd rather not write an Author's note bigger than my chapter.**

**I might list all the ships I support on my profile, for people who might want to request shipping one-shots and such, but I don't know if anyone would like that. Let me know in a review or pm if you would fancy that.**

**On another note, I honestly just do not like yaoi. I'm not homophobic or anything, although some elements of it make me uncomfortable in a way.**

**Yuri is fine, but it is rather uncommon in the stories I find.**

**So, that being said, expect different shippings for later stories, not just Pearlshipping.**

**I also support Human x Pokemon as well. (Well obviously)**

**Okay enough sidetracking, on to the story!**

**PS: I made Mewtwo's speech bold.**

"**Dialogue"**

**'Thoughts/other speech'**

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason_:

_Ash stayed frozen. That kiss felt like he was just put inside an oven. He felt the cheek she kissed. It was as if he could feel the hotness coming from his cheek. The sparks. He continued to stay still in place, hand on his cheek, before Pikachu got annoyed and smacked him with his tail. Ash cried in pain from the hard hit, while mentally happy that Pikachu didn't shock him this time._

_"Ah! Okay, okay, I'm going now," Ash told the mouse, who was snickering. He glared at the rodent and opened the door to his room. He noticed Brock was asleep. He wondered if Brock could help him with this "feeling". He shrugged and changed into his nightwear. After entering the bathroom and brushing his teeth, he got into bed with his furry mouse starter._

_Now, after this day, Ash had three things to accomplish. One, was to train with Mewtwo, Tyranitar and Latias and his other 12 pokemon to become the best they can. Two, was to win the Sinnoh League to prove to the Sinnoh Elite Four and Champion that they weren't wrong in rooting for him. Three, was to find out just what this feeling was that he had for Dawn. He smiled at remembering the cheek kiss. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it._

_"Goodnight Pikachu," Ash murmured, stroking the mouse's fur. Pikachu cooed to him before curling up to sleep. Ash smiled softly, facing the ceiling. 'And goodnight to you too, Dawn.'_

_He closed his eyes and fell into a blissful sleep._

* * *

**Chapter 7:The Bloom of Something New: Part Two!**

Ah, morning. The Starly were chirping, Bidoof were loafing around, and relatively every pokemon present was just enjoying the warm weather. Civilians, trainers, and kids alike, all roamed the streets. Whether it be to buy some breakfast or just a stroll around the beautiful island known as Lily of The Valley, everyone was having a great time. It was peaceful.

In the Pokemon Center, trainers ate at the cafeteria. Brock was eating his breakfast peacefully with Gary, Professor Oak, and Delia. Oddly enough, neither Dawn nor Ash were there.

In the comfy bed of room 263 of the Pokemon Center, Ash and his starter Pikachu snoozed away. It was only 8:30 am, way too early for Ash. He himself had no idea of the giant trauma someone was having while trying to wake him and his mouse up, however.

"**Hey, time to get up. I've been trying to get you two up for ten minutes, wake up,"** Mewtwo said, shaking them. He had come into the room after seeing that Brock was out of the room.

"**Get up, please."** He continued to shake the two, getting annoyed at how they wouldn't even shift.

"**I will ask nicely once more. Please get up,"** The psychic type warned, shaking them more forcefully. At seeing they still wouldn't wake up, he sighed. He wouldn't scream at them, but Mewtwo had something else in mind to wake them up.

He surrounded the two in psychic energy, then promptly levitated them to slightly above the floor. He dropped them, while waiting for them to impact.

Double thuds were hurt, accompanied with one "ow!" and one "pika!". After recovering from the falls, the two looked up, rubbing their heads. They glared at the floating pokemon, who was unfazed.

"**Do not give me those looks. I tried to wake you two up nicely for ten minutes, yet you did not even shift," **Mewtwo told them, crossing his arms, as they immediately got sheepish. Ash looked up at the clock, noticing it was only 8:32. He groaned at being up so early.

"Are we always going to have to wake up this early?" Ash questioned, rising from the floor, while Pikachu got on his shoulder. Mewtwo simply responded with a **"No." **Ash was ready to jump back in his bed until Mewtwo finished his sentence. **"Earlier."**

Before Ash could protest, he was shooed into the bathroom. **"Go get dressed and have breakfast with your friends. I will come find you afterwards. When you are ready, we will go to Altomare,"** Mewtwo informed the teen, who sighed and nodded, walking into the bathroom with his towel as Pikachu jumped on his bed.

After showering and changing, Ash grabbed his belt of poke balls, noticing that Mewtwo was gone. He shrugged, checking it off as him not wanting to be seen. He grabbed Pikachu, heading back to the bathroom.

After thoroughly washing and drying the mouse, the teen walked out of the bathroom once again, but this time around with a relatively shiny Pikachu in his arms. He laughed at his face of displeasure. Pikachu never really liked baths.

Ash grabbed his signature hat, gloves, and shoes. Putting them on, he walked out of the room, closing the door before he went for the cafeteria.

* * *

If not shown by the way he was basically dancing to the cafeteria, snapping his fingers, or how he and Pikachu seemed to sing, Ash was happy. He had finally found that solution, thanks to Mewtwo. Not only was he happy about that, he was happy about that feeling he had with Dawn. He did not exactly know what he felt, but he'd find out sooner or later.

Entering the cafeteria, Ash realized how giant the cafeteria was. Round tables were scattering everywhere. He inwardly groaned at how it was so large he could get lost. He went to the line, wanting to get his food first. Buying some eggs, bacon, and sausage links, he also grabbed some poke food for Pikachu.

Walking away from the line, Ash realized he could not find his friends. He searched far and wide, unable to find them.

'Oh jeez. Might as well search around for someone I know.' He began to look around, seeing if there was any sign of someone he knew. He noticed Conway, Nando, and Barry sitting at one table. He pondered on whether or not to sit with them, and eventually decided he wanted to. Approaching the table, he sat next to Nando, while the trio of trainers noticed his presence.

"Hey guys," Ash greeted in an even tone. The three trainers greeted him back, seemingly not bothered by his presence.

"Hello, Ash. We were just talking about the battle you had with Barry yesterday," Conway commented, fixing his glasses. Ash looked over at Barry, who nodded.

"Yes. We were wondering how that Draco Meteor was used underground, successfully sending the orbs and rocks directly at Empoleon. It was simply unbelievable to hear," Nando said, tuning his harp.

Ash laughed at how the three trainers looked at him in intrigue. He calmed down, ready to give his explanation. He took a couple bites of his food before speaking.

"Well, it was something that I thought would work because of how powerful Draco Meteor is. I have to be honest, I wondered if it would backfire. Alas, I decided to try my luck and it came out great for a first try. Gible also finally mastered Draco Meteor!" he informed the three teens, who nodded at his explanation.

"So, are you guys ready for the Sinnoh League?" Barry asked the other males, taking a bite of his bacon.

Conway gave his 'oh so signature' chuckle, before stating, "Of course. My unorthodox strategies and clever pokemon will help me soar in the Conference."

"Yes, I am ready. I plan to use both my abilities from my contests, and from my battles, and combine them into a great battling style," Nando said calmly, finishing his hash browns.

"Well for me, not just yet," Ash told the blonde, who recoiled slightly at the unexpected answer.

"Not just yet? How come?" Barry voiced, scratching his head. He thought Ash was more than ready for the league since he crushed him so easily.

Ash began to think. He knew he couldn't reveal his secrets about his new pokemon and the training, but needed to find a good excuse. Before things could get too mind boggling, he spit out an excuse.

"I'm not ready because I want to get some extra training done before the Conference. After all, we still have a month," Ash admitted, as the other teens had to agree with that. They had a month to prepare and would surely use it to become as prepared as possible.

"Well, I am finished with my breakfast. I have some things to do today so I will see you three at the Conference," Conway stated, standing up with his empty plate. Ash nodded to the green haired male, rubbing Pikachu's fur. Conway dumped his scraps, then promptly left the cafeteria, heading right.

"I am also finished. I need to do some training. Until next time, friends," Nando stated next, throwing away his scraps and leaving the cafeteria, going left.

"I've got to go too, Ash. My dad is coming today and I have to go see him at the dock." Barry also dumped his trash, heading outside.

Ash sighed at realizing he was alone. Pikachu jumped on the table, since no one else was around.

The teen continued to eat his breakfast, until he felt someone touch his shoulder. "Mind if I sit here?" The voice whispered in his ear, softly, making him shiver softly, as the voice was very familiar to him.

Ash jumped, turning around in his chair to face the person who said that. He was met with a bright grin. At seeing who it was, he had to smile as well. Ash nodded to the person, who giggled and sat across from him.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"If you're here, where are the others?" Ash asked, as the person merely shrugged. "I don't know, really. I recently woke up and saw you all by your lonesome. So, I decided to keep you company."

"Hah. To be fair, I _was _sitting with Nando, Conway, and Barry. Although, they had to leave," Ash responded, eating his eggs. The person nodded at the explanation, setting down their plate.

"So what are you doing today, Dawn?" he asked his blue haired companion, as the teen merely shrugged again. "I have no idea. What are you doing?" Dawn questioned him.

"Training."

"Ah, that's nice," she responded distantly, looking at him with an expression which was mostly likely longing.

He wanted to ask her to come, but wondered what Mewtwo would say. After all, the psychic type wanted this whole thing to be a secret.

**'She seems very trustworthy. Will you bring her along?' **Mewtwo asked out of the blue, scaring the life out of Ash.

'Mewtwo! Give a warning before you do that! And when did you trust humans?!' Ash told him mentally. He noticed that Dawn saw him flinch.

"You okay, Ash?" she asked, looking at him in concern, even pausing her eating session to look at him. He chuckled nervously, rubbing his head.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine! No need to worry, right?" he answered, which she bought, since he used her catchphrase.

"Alright, if you say so," she stated, still looking at him weirdly, getting back into her meal.

The teen inwardly sighed in relief, as Mewtwo began to speak again.

**'Remember Ash, you were the one who made me give humans a second chance. Your friend here has no bad emotions in her. She is pure, as you are. That, is why I think she seems trustworthy,' **Mewtwo said, making Ash smile.

He knew Dawn was pure, but having it confirmed by a psychic type just made him feel better about his feelings towards her.

**'And,'** The pokemon stated, '**You and her hold mutual emotions for one another. Wouldn't you want to be honest to her?'** Ash felt guilty at that. If they did feel the same for one another, why would he lie to her like this? Although it was not exactly a lie as he was still training, it felt like one if he said it to her.

'Okay Mewtwo, I understand,' Ash told him, taking a deep breath and facing Dawn.

"Dawn."

"Hm?"

"Want to come along with me?" he asked, as she feigned intense thinking.

"Hmm, I don't know..." Dawn wondered, making Ash nervous. He had no idea she was teasing him.

She hummed softly, before nodding. "Okay!"

"Oh, that's great!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly at her.

"Well, we should probably finish our breakfast first." Dawn pointed out, eating her breakfast. Ash looked at his almost cold food, before nodding and digging in.

* * *

After finally finishing their food, the two teens took their trash and threw all the scraps away, before heading out of the cafeteria. Ash quickly went to the bathroom, where Mewtwo appeared and took Pikachu. Ash had no idea why he took the mouse, but did not question it.

After coming out of the bathroom, he went to meet up with Dawn, who was waiting on a bench.

"Ready to go?" The raven haired teen asked, while she nodded, standing up. She quickly noticed a certain mouse was missing.

"Where's Pikachu?"

"Oh, him? You'll see him soon enough," Ash said, making her shrug.

They continued to walk through the halls, nearing the exit. Taking the exit, Ash turned to Dawn.

"Hey." She looked back at him.

"What is it, Ash?"

"Are you ready for something unbelievable?" Ash asked, as they neared the forests outside the Pokemon Center.

"How unbelievable?"

"You'll see soon enough," The teen stated cryptically. She pouted at his mysterious response, but did not question it.

After making it to the deep part of the forest, Ash looked around, seemingly checking that no one was around. Dawn grew suspicious about this. Just what was he planning?

She knew he would never do anything inappropriate, but it still made her wonder just what it was that was so unbelievable that he needed them to be alone. She quickly grew impatient, as Ash continued to look around.

"Ash?" Dawn asked, tapping his shoulder.

"Yeah?" The raven haired teen answered distractedly, still looking around.

"Shouldn't we be training? Why are you just looking around?" Dawn questioned, snapping her fingers to get his attention back to her.

He chuckled softly at her impatience, making Dawn get slightly annoyed. "Hey! Why are you chuckling?"

This made him laugh. Dawn was so cute when she got mad/annoyed. 'Jeez, that word again.'

"I don't see how this is funny," The blue haired teen stated, crossing her arms, starting to get really annoyed.

"Oh it's nothing, just your face," he responded, before quickly shutting his mouth, while Dawn gained a very scary expression. 'Shit! Why did I say it like that?!'

As Dawn approached him, eyes narrowed, it made Ash quickly realize that he had dug his own grave.

3...2...1...

"WHAT?!"

"Aieee!" He sprinted off into the forest, while she chased him in hot pursuit.

"GET BACK HERE KETCHUM!" she screamed, hunting Ash down like prey.

Up above the forest, floated the psychic type known as Mewtwo. He observed the tiny dot known as Ash, get chased by the other tiny dot, known as Dawn.

"**What have you done, Ash?" **Mewtwo stated, with Pikachu on his shoulder. They merely watched Ash get chased around the forest.

'Wow, Ash pissed off his mate already?' Pikachu remarked, while Mewtwo looked at Pikachu weirdly.

"**Mate?"** The psychic legendary asked, while Pikachu nodded.

'Yeah! They were nuzzling last night, which means they're mates!' The electric mouse exclaimed with a childish grin.

"**I don't think it works that way, Pikachu,"** Mewtwo responded to the small mouse. Pikachu thought about that, before sighing. 'Guess they're not mates after all. But either way, Ash pissed her off.'

"**Now that, is true,"** The psychic type agreed, knowing that Ash could handle this himself.

They went back to watching.

Back to the two teens, Ash was still sprinting off as fast as he could, with Dawn not far behind.

"Take it back!" Dawn exclaimed, slightly panting.

"Never!" Ash shot back. He knew it was a compliment that he said but she took it as an insult. He wanted to tell her so, but she just wouldn't stop running!

She started to catch up to him, making Ash start to mumble to Arceus to please help.

Ash turned around, wanting to tell her right now before he got too hurt.

"Dawn it was a-"

"Raaah!" She dived at him, effectively colliding with his stomach.

They landed on the grassy forest floor, with Dawn on top of Ash. Ash groaned at the impact. He had landed hard on his back. He was about to get up, before noticing a weight on his stomach.

He noticed Dawn was the weight on his stomach. She was also groaning from the collision. She looked at him, while he looked back. She was breathing heavily, as was Ash. He could feel her hot breath, as could she. They got lost in each other's eyes. Both teens were merely gazing at one another.

Although he was enjoying this little moment, Ash knew he had to tell her about the whole "face" thing.

"You know," he murmured softly, getting her attention.

"Hm?" she responded dreamily, still not taking her eyes off him.

"When I said that thing about your face-" He started,which made her expression harden.

"What about it?" she questioned in an angry tone.

"It was a-"

"A what?" She cut in.

"A compliment," he admitted, making her totally stop her anger and gawk at him in shock.

She turned red, and started to mumble incoherent words. All she could spit out was a "huh?"

"Yes, a compliment. When I was talking about your face, I meant that you're cute when you get mad or annoyed. Not that your face is funny."

This made her totally red. Even her neck was red. Not only was she flattered from the compliment, but also embarrassed at how she tried to hurt him from a misunderstanding.

"O-Oh. T-thanks," Dawn said somewhat shakily, after nearly a minute of shushed silence.

"No problem!" Ash assured her, grinning.

"I'm sorry," The blue haired teen said in shame, lowering her head. Ash grabbed her chin, making her look at him.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, you know," The raven haired teen told her, grinning. She immediately began to deny it, until Ash put a finger to her lips, effectively shushing her.

"There isn't. It was all a misunderstanding. Also, it was partly my fault because I didn't tell you before."

"O-Okay. If you say so," Dawn admitted softly, still incredibly embarrassed.

After getting over the embarrassment slightly, she began to feel really warm. It was that same feeling she felt last night. 'It's now or never!'

Ash felt it too, a burning fire was building up inside him. But, why? This was a nostalgic feeling to him now. He looked at Dawn, who was looking back at him once again.

The raven haired teen noticed her close her eyes, and she slowly leaned closer to him. Ash inwardly gulped. 'She wants to kiss me. Better not mess this up.'

He felt her grip his shoulders. He gripped her waist, trying his best to reciprocate everything.

She began to lean close to him again, lips puckered. Ash felt really nervous. What if he messed up and she got upset? He only had about five seconds to react and he tried his best.

He closed his eyes, and leaned to her as well. Ash could hear her hum slightly.

* * *

Up above them, the two pokemon merely waited for them to get up. They were so high up, they could not see that they were about to kiss. All Mewtwo and Pikachu could see was a slightly bigger dot on the floor.

Mewtwo at first, wondered if they had gotten unconscious. He could feel fierce emotions from them, which assured him that they were very much awake. The emotions he could feel, were deep and warm. It made him feel odd, since this feeling was one he had no experience on. It was a feeling of deep, deep, deep, passion.

The psychic type knew that if he stopped their moment, Ash would be angry at him. Although Ash could do no real damage to him by himself, the teen was going to become his trainer, and Mewtwo wanted to let his new trainer have his moment. That is why he stayed up, merely waiting with Pikachu watching in confusion.

The two nearly fell back from the strong emotions Mewtwo was feeling from the two. It was just so powerful, almost like an attack of sorts. This was so heavy, it wouldn't surprise him if psychics everywhere felt it.

Back to the teens once more, they were still there with their eyes closed, and slowly leaning to each other. Ash might not have been able to see her, but he could feel her breathing heavily, seemingly as nervous as he was.

Dawn's heart was on fire right now. She had never thought she would be kissing Ash like this, on his stomach, in the middle of a forest, but she knew there was no going back now. Not like she wanted to, anyway. She could feel his breath more, seemingly close to her destination. Dawn made a quick peek, just to make sure he was following her move. Surely enough, Ash had his eyes closed, and was leaning to her as well. This calmed her down a little, as Ash was feeling the same as she.

Finally, they collided. It was such a feeling, it made both teens blush. Sparks, flames, were felt by both. Also, the sensation of their lips was felt as well. Ash could taste the strawberry lipstick Dawn had on, while she tasted his vanilla chapstick. This, accompanied with the warm sensations, caused them to not only kiss, but kiss longingly. It was as if, this was just something they had both wanted for a while.

It made Ash think about his moments with Dawn. From her saving his Pikachu, to right now. So many moments where she had been so great to him, he just couldn't think of them all. It made him kiss her with more passion. This feeling he felt, it was something that was hidden. Hidden under all the things he had in his mind. But now, it was finally free. When he felt hopeless about not having his reason, Dawn was there to comfort him. It was something that always warmed his heart, but he had no idea why. He knew now. It was because he felt so many feelings for her that they all combined into one, resulting in this.

Dawn, was also thinking similarly. Pondering over the past times they've had, like all the times Ash gave her courage when she doubted her contest abilities, or all the times he had been so nice and caring to her, it just made her feel so, _loved. _These moments, were things she never wanted to end. She had once thought that she would never live up to her mother's rank, but who gave her the courage to continue and get stronger? The guy she was kissing right now. All these things that had transpired between them, plus today and yesterday night, made her decide one thing. This was no longer friendship. This was way more than that now.

Mewtwo was blown back from the even fiercer emotions that they almost hurt his brain. It had increased tenfold! Now, the emotion type had changed a little. This emotion that was felt mutually from both, and was one Mewtwo did not know at all. It was one emotion he had only felt from married couples, and mated pokemon. He stopped feeling their emotions, not wanting to fry his brain from trying to figure out what it was.

Mewtwo froze when he saw a group of four dots, known as Gary, Brock, Oak, and Delia, slowly approaching the two teens. Pikachu noticed it as well. They looked at each other in panic. Mewtwo teleported into a tree meters away from Ash and Dawn.

When seeing the two teens, Mewtwo's eyes widened and Pikachu merely smirked at the psychic type. 'See, they _are_ mates! Wait, are they mati-' Mewtwo quickly shut his mouth. **"No, they are not," **The psychic legendary said with a slight glare.

"Ash! Dawn! Pikachu! Where are you?" Their calls were heard by Mewtwo and Pikachu.

"**Oh no. Ash's friends are quickly approaching. I need to warn him,"** Mewtwo declared, while the mouse quickly nodded. **"Pikachu, I will transport you to a little bit ahead of them. You need to run away from that spot, and make sure they follow you. I will let you know when it is safe to come back."** Pikachu voiced his consent with a confident "Pi!". The mouse was then surrounded in psychic energy, before he disappeared into thin air.

A couple minutes afterwards, the group of four were getting closer and closer to the two trainers. "Oh, hey guys it's Pikachu!" Gary exclaimed, noticing the mouse a little bit ahead of them. They had finished breakfast, and noticed that neither Ash nor Dawn were anywhere in the Pokemon Center. After looking around and asking other trainers, someone had told them that the two teens had went out to the forest.

Pikachu, at seeing Gary, quickly ran east, since Ash and Dawn were north. The four humans quickly followed Pikachu, confused as to why he was running.

* * *

Back to Mewtwo and the two trainers, the psychic type sweat dropped at how they were still going at it.

**'Okay, I think that's enough,'** The legendary pokemon said into Ash's mind, which made him pull away from the kiss. Dawn whined slightly at his sudden release, but remembered that they needed to breathe.

**'Your friends have come to find you, Ash.'** He stated, making Ash flinch. **'I suggest you get up before they come find you. I know your mother is one of them, and I don't think she would approve of your position as of now.'** He finished, pointing at the two teens who were in a very _suggestive _position.

Ash nodded mentally, looking at Dawn, who was looking back at him in concern. "You okay?" He nodded again. "I think we should get up, I can hear our group coming," The teen told her, which made her also flinch. "And, I don't think my mom would like finding us in this position." Dawn jumped off Ash, not wanting to suffer the embarrassment.

The teen tried to get up, but felt like his back was stuck to the ground. He whined at Dawn, who giggled at his predicament. She stuck out his hand to him, which he took.

* * *

After getting up and cleaning themselves off, Dawn called out to Ash.

"So, are we telling them what happened?" she asked, pointing to themselves. Ash thought about it. 'Brock would cry and sulk about being single, my mom would smother and embarrass me, Gary would tease me non stop, and Professor Oak would be pretty neutral.' Putting his thumb on his chin, he made a decision.

"Not just yet," Ash told her, which she nodded at. "Yeah, it's for the best."

"So, what did you want to show me before this?" Dawn asked, which made Ash cross his arms.

"I'll show you after we tell our group about us going out training. To be fair, we just left without telling anyone," The raven haired teen answered, while they both had to nod at that.

'Okay. They can come now Mewtwo,' Ash voiced to the psychic type mentally, hearing a grunt in agreement.

**'Pikachu. Come back now,' **Mewtwo said mentally to the mouse, who merely sent back a small "pi".

The electric rodent quickly swerved back, heading north once more. The humans followed, yelling out protests as to why Pikachu kept on running.

Finally making it to where Ash and Dawn were, the mouse noticed them just talking in front of a medium sized tree. He leaped into Ash's arms, making Ash laughed as he caught him.

"See! Told you that you'd see him soon!" Ash nudged Dawn, who smiled at Pikachu. "Yeah, I know," she admitted with a soft smile, rubbing the mouse's fur, making him coo.

Finally, the other four reached them. "There you guys are! We were searching for you two everywhere!" Brock breathed, hands on his knees.

"Ashy-boy. You have to let us know when you go out man!" Gary scolded, slightly annoyed.

"Yes Ash. My running days are over, I'm too old for all this running," Oak stated, seeming extra grouchy.

"Ash!" Delia yelled, making Ash flinch.

"Y-yes mom?" The teen asked nervously. He suddenly felt six once again. Delia stomped up to him, while everyone else stepped out of the way, including Dawn and Pikachu. Everyone knew of her hidden temper. She could be bright and nice as the sun when happy, but could also be terrifyingly mean when mad.

She finally made it to him, glaring hard into his eyes. Ash visibly gulped, scared that he might be heading home. When he was little, his mom would send him home if he pissed her off or made her worry a lot. And since she was here and still in control of him, it was possible he might be heading to Pallet soon.

Delia continued to look at him, eyes beginning to water, making an imaginary anvil of guilt fall onto Ash. He hated seeing his mother cry.

He immediately hugged her, which she returned softly, surprisingly. "You know I worry about you, my only son. You've done so many great things that would've made your dad so proud," she admitted, stroking his hair.

"I know mom. I know," Ash murmured, rubbing her back to ease her. 'Hope you're doing good up there, dad,' The teen said mentally, looking up at the sky for a little before looking back down.

They pulled away after a while, with Pikachu jumping back on Ash's shoulder.

"So, what were you two doing out here in the forest?" Oak asked, making both Ash and Dawn look at each other in slight panic. All they had done was make out!

"We were looking for a good training spot, right Dawn?" Ash quickly spit out, which Dawn nodded at quickly. They were nervous that this excuse wouldn't be bought.

"If so, why wasn't Pikachu with you? And why did he run around looking for something?" Brock asked, making them panic once more.

"Pikachu had wanted to find something, so we let him go. Looks like he didn't find it. But he did find you guys!" Dawn responded, chuckling nervously. Pikachu nodded at that.

"Oh, well okay," Oak said, the others nodding as well. The two teens and one pokemon sighed in relief.

"Well, I wanted to check out this breeder shop in the middle of the island. So I'll see you guys later," Brock told them, walking off.

"Us three are going to see the lab they have here., Gary said, while the other two adults nodded to his statement.

"Have fun you two!" Delia told them, while they walked away.

"Phew, that was close," Ash breathed, wiping his forehead. His blue haired companion nodded at his statement.

"So, is it time to show me what you wanted to show me?" Dawn asked, getting rather giddy.

"Yep!"

"Finally!" The blue haired teen exclaimed in joy, hugging Ash. He hugged her back, laughing.

"Just wait a sec okay?" Ash stated, after they pulled away.

"Okay," Dawn responded, idly checking if her hair was alright from that forest chase.

'Mewtwo,' Ash said mentally, not knowing where the psychic type was as he had disappeared.

**'Yes?' **The psychic type responded.

'I'm ready, let's go,' Ash replied, putting an arm around Dawn, making her smile at him.

**'Alright,' **Mewtwo voiced, getting ready to teleport more than one human.

"Dawn?" Ash let go of her, making her pout, until he grabbed her hand. She blushed at the sudden action.

"Yeah?" she asked, deciding to be bold herself, interlocking their fingers.

"It's time," Ash told her, making her squeeze his hand.

Suddenly, the trio of human and pokemon were surrounded in psychic energy, then they were transported away from the forest.

* * *

They landed in an alley, hidden from the streets. Dawn was in total awe, and also total confusion. How did they just get here?

The trio walked out of the alley, marveling at the giant city. It was a very nice but busy place. People stalked around, doing various jobs and such. Pokemon were seen around, whether battling for a trainer or being groomed or even just eating. This, obviously, was nowhere in Sinnoh.

"Where are we? This can't be Sinnoh," Dawn voiced to the raven haired teen, looking around confused, making Ash laugh slightly.

"Yeah, it's not. This is Johto," Ash answered her, making her all starry eyed.

"Wow! I've never been to Johto before! But, how did we get here?" The blue haired teen chirped, squeezing Ash's hand.

"I'll tell you later. For now, I'll show you what I promised earlier," Ash stated, which Dawn nodded at.

"This," Ash stated, using his free arm to show around the whole city. "Is what I wanted to show you."

"Really?" Dawn asked, to which he nodded with a small grin.

Dawn looked at him, before giving him a peck on the lips. They both blushed at this.

"Thanks Ash," she told him, smiling brightly, which he returned.

"But, we aren't just here to see," Ash said, making her look at him.

"We're here to explore as well!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, running off, effectively dragging Pikachu and Dawn.

"H-Hey! Slow down!" Dawn whined, with Pikachu agreeing.

Mewtwo watched from a nearby heavy bush. He would let them have some fun before he took them to where they have to go.

"By the way, what is this place called?" The blue haired teen asked, making Ash stop for a second.

He grinned at her, before stating, "Altomare."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**No flames please.**

**So next chapter is Altomare. I hope you enjoyed the romantic aspect, as it's far from over. (Hehehe)**

**Thanks for reading. Until next time!**


	8. The Savior of Altomare

**Hello readers, it's Jay1414 with the latest installment of Reason_._**

**Just to inform you readers, the latest I update is every ten days, unless I am preoccupied with school.**

**Chapter Eight will have Altoshipping.**

**This chapter is finally getting around to the training.**

**Also, the rest of Ash's pokemon will be revealed. (Heads up, he has 15.)**

**Oh, and responding to Guest. Dawn is 15, not 10-11. She only has a one year age difference to Ash, not 6-7.**

**By the way, if you don't like shipping, I'm sorry. Shipping is something writers add in many stories, and I can't do anything if you don't like it. Please bear with me on shippings if you don't enjoy them because I won't focus everything on it unless it's a one shot or romance story of sorts.**

**Well anyways, enough of my blabbering because if I don't stop now I'll never stop.**

**That is all for now, on to the story!**

**"Dialogue"**

**'Thoughts/other speech'**

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_"Where are we? This can't be Sinnoh," Dawn voiced to the raven haired teen, looking around confused, making Ash laugh slightly._

_"Yeah, it's not. This is Johto," Ash answered her, making her all starry eyed._

_"Wow! I've never been to Johto before! But, how did we get here?" The blue haired teen chirped, squeezing Ash's hand._

_"I'll tell you later. For now, I'll show you what I promised earlier," Ash stated, which Dawn nodded at._

_"This," Ash stated, using his free arm to show around the whole city. "Is what I wanted to show you."_

_"Really?" Dawn asked, to which he nodded with a small grin._

_Dawn looked at him, before giving him a peck on the lips. They both blushed at this._

_"Thanks Ash," she told him, smiling brightly, which he returned._

_"But, we aren't just here to see," Ash said, making her look at him._

_"We're here to explore as well!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, running off, effectively dragging Pikachu and Dawn._

_"H-Hey! Slow down!" Dawn whined, with Pikachu agreeing._

_Mewtwo watched from a nearby heavy bush. He would let them have some fun before he took them to where they have to go._

_"By the way, what is this place called?" The blue haired teen asked, making Ash stop for a second._

_He grinned at her, before stating, "Altomare."_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Savior of Altomare!**

Walking through the city of Altomare, Ash noticed how any surprised looks he got from people. He ignored them, thinking there was no real reason for it.

He continued to walk, holding hands with Dawn, and Pikachu riding on his shoulder. Dawn noticed a café, making her squeeze his hand. Ash looked back at her, eyebrow raised. She merely pointed at the café.

"Hungry?" Dawn questioned with a smile.

"Hm, a little," Ash replied, poking Pikachu, making him squeak.

After agreeing that they were all rather hungry, they decided to enter, opening the glass door, making a little bell chime on the top of the door frame. Walking inside, the two teens and one pokemon got a good view at the café. The café was very roomy, with decor painted brown with white walls. Portraits of historic people of the history of Johto scattered the walls. Stands and tables were spread around the whole café. The café at the moment was rather empty, which did not bother any of them one bit.

Marveling at the classy decorations, they walked up to the front stand, being approached by a man with a waiter uniform.

"Hello, and welcome to the Alto Café," The man greeted, before gasping.

"Something wrong, sir?" Ash asked. The waiter merely looked away from them, pointing to a portrait on the front wall of the Alto Café. The trio looked to where he pointed, before also gasping.

The portrait was of Ash, Latias, and Latios. Under the portrait, were the words "Our savior with the eon dragons".

'Our savior?' Ash thought, which Mewtwo responded to.

'**Latias gave me the summary of what happened the day her brother had passed. She told me how she and anyone who witnessed what happened thinks of you as their savior as the legend says that you had helped Latias and her brother fight Annie and Oakley when they threatened the city. Although Latios had sacrificed himself, she knew if you could, you would have taken his place. So, that being said, townspeople think of you as a legend, just like the eon dragons.'**

'So that's why I got so many surprised looks.' The raven haired teen realized. Thinking about Latios got him a little teary eyed. No one knew the true story besides him, Brock and Misty. He assumed that they thought of him that way since no one had ever really seen the eon dragons before, only in art paintings. He pushed those thoughts away and merely continued to look at the portrait.

"Ash, you've been here before?" Dawn asked curiously, getting Ash's attention.

"Yeah, four years ago. The eon dragons, who are know as legends, were once threatened by two Team Rocket agents, worse than Jessie and James, named Annie and Oakley. They tried to steal them."

"That's horrible," The blue haired teen replied with a sigh, which Ash nodded at solemnly.

"Wait," Dawn stated with a confused expression. Ash looked back at her, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Where _are _Jessie and James?" This made Ash totally stop. 'I haven't seen them since, since, since I don't know when!'

"No idea. I forgot about them, to be honest," The raven haired teen retorted, not having a clue where the three stooges went.

"Same," Dawn responded with a shrug, happy that they were at least having less Team Rocket shenanigans.

They noticed the waiter was still frozen in shock. Ash waved his hand in front of the man's face, effectively breaking him out of his shock. He looked back at Ash, seemingly in disbelief of seeing him in person.

"I-I thought you were only a legend! Just like the eon dragons!" The waiter exclaimed, making Ash chuckle softly.

"No, I'm real," Ash stated, crossing his arms. The man settled himself down, not wanting to cause a mental breakdown.

"Also, I want to be treated normally," Ash added, not wanting to be treated as if he was Wallace or something.

"Okay, so what can I get you?" The waiter asked, taking out a notepad.

The trio sat down at a nearby table, the two teens grabbing a menu. Dawn merely picked the first salad she saw.

"I'll take the Chef's Salad." The man nodded, writing it down.

"And for you, savior?" The waiter asked next, making Ash groan at the name.

"Just call me Ash, please," The teen pleaded. Now he knew why Bertha didn't want any publicity.

"If you insist. So what can I get you then?" The man asked again.

Ash searched the menu, picking something that looked tasty.

"I'll have the Philly Cheese Steak, with Onion Rings, and some Electric Type Pokemon Food." The man wrote it all down, getting ready to go tell the cook.

"To drink?" They couldn't have a scrumptious meal without a drink to put it all down.

"I'll have some Sweet Tea, please," Dawn ordered politely.

"Orange Soda," Ash replied, not as polite but polite either way.

The man walked away, leaving the trio alone.

"Nice place huh?" Dawn commented, which Ash nodded at. They continued to wait in a peaceful silence.

The waiter came back after a while, bringing their food and drinks. They each gave their thanks, before digging in.

"Yeah, this is good," Ash voiced, taking a bite of his Philly Cheese Steak.

"Mhm," Dawn hummed, engrossed in her salad. Even though she always had salads, this one had a unique spicing in it which just made it even more delicious.

Pikachu merely ate, nothing out of the ordinary. He had this stuff all the time. Not like it was bad or anything, it was just a taste he was used to.

"I'm glad we came, y'know?" Ash stated, making Dawn nod in agreement. It really was a good idea to come here, even though she had no idea how they did.

Not much else was said, as the food was just too good. It was simply delicious cuisine that was native to Johto. It was food that Ash had missed and Dawn had never tried before until now.

After finishing their scrumptious food, the trio of Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu waited patiently for the waiter to come to them with the bill.

* * *

Outside the café, walked a girl. This girl, had dark brown hair, with tips that looked like wings and ends that curled to her neck, a red short sleeved shirt with a white collar and white buttons, a white skirt, black stockings, and black shoes.

This girl, is known as Bianca, or possibly the eon dragon Latias. Since Latias was really adventurous, she would use Bianca's appearance to roam town worry free. Considering the fact that she had no beret on, this meant it was indeed Latias.

She, being Latias, was really excited today. Today was the day she would get to be with Ash again. It had been four years since she had last seen him, and she missed him dearly. She was totally overjoyed when Mewtwo told her that Ash was in fact already in Altomare. That was why, she was walking around looking for him.

Continuing to walk, she was just about to walk past the café, until she saw him. They locked eyes. He grinned at her, seemingly recognizing her. She smiled back, unknowing if Ash thought she was herself or Bianca.

Running into the entrance, she noticed a girl seated in front of him, back facing her. This made a slight burning sensation fill her up. This girl was not Misty, nor was it anyone she knew. 'Who is this?'

Latias ignored the female, writing her off as Ash's traveling companion. She dived over the table, which she could do as she was a pokemon, effectively making the bulls eye.

"Hey Bian-" Ash could not finish his sentence, as he was tackled off his chair, onto the floor.

She just laid on Ash, nuzzling him. This made Ash realize he was wrong. This wasn't Bianca. Bianca was friendly and all but she would never dive over a table, tackle him, and nuzzle him on the floor. This had to be Latias.

"Latias?" The rather bundled teen whispered in her ear, blushing slightly from the sudden affection. She merely nodded, not wanting to let go of him just yet. Ash laughed softly, hugging her.

Pikachu watched her nuzzle him, making the mouse really suspicious. 'She's nuzzling him, which means she wants to become his-' This was quickly interrupted by a certain psychic type.

**'Is mating all you think about?' **Mewtwo deadpanned into Pikachu's mind. The mouse chuckled nervously.

Unnoticed by Ash and Latias, Dawn was slowly seething. She had just witnessed a random girl dive over the table, tackle _her _boyfriend(although they hadn't established it yet), lie on him, nuzzle him, and have him reciprocate.

'Who does this girl think she is?!' The blue haired teen fumed, getting out of her chair. 'And why isn't Ash stopping her?!'

Stomping over to them, only Pikachu noticed her face of fury as Ash and Latias were still engrossed in their reunion.

Dawn made it to them, wanting to rip the girl off him. She knew that wouldn't be appropriate, so she took the nicer approach.

She tapped the girl's shoulder, which Latias ignored. The eon dragon was enjoying her moment and she wouldn't have it interrupted. She waited four years, damn it!

"Excuse me." She attempted to get her attention again, which was once again ignored.

"Uh, ahem." The third time was not the charm, as it was totally ignored again.

Trying for the fourth time, "Hello?" To no avail.

Getting annoyed, she looked over at Ash, who had just now noticed her over here.

"Hey Dawn!" Ash greeted, seemingly not bothered by the look of pure rage on Dawn's face. He was unable to wave as his arms were held by Latias.

"Hello Ash," Dawn replied in a scarily calm tone. This made Ash flinch and get flustered, realizing how suggestive this looked. 'Shit. It hasn't even been a day and she already wants to hurt me again.'

Realizing that Latias was _not _getting off him any time soon unless he said something, Ash knew that he had to get her off him before Dawn did, in a very uncomfortable way.

"Latias," The flustered teen murmured quietly to her ear, making her finally look up at him. She was blushing, which made him wonder if pokemon even blushed. He quickly abandoned that thought, remembering seeing many of his pokemon blush, mainly Bayleef.

"I need you to get off me," Ash told her. She pouted at him, not wanting to let go. Latias was enjoying herself, she didn't want to lose it so fast!

"If you get off now, you can nuzzle me all you want later," he offered, which made her unwillingly agree. Getting off of him, she offered a hand, which he took.

After rising off the ground, Ash looked over at Dawn, who had her arms crossed.

"Well?" The blue haired teen questioned, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Well, what?" Ash replied with a nervous grin. She narrowed her eyes at him, making an eye motion to Latias, which made him flinch.

"I can explain," he assured her, waving his hands in front of his face. 'I can't believe how this got so bad so fast!'

"Then do it," Dawn responded in a straight tone, beginning to lose her patience.

"But not here," The raven haired teen replied, making her become suspicious.

"And why not here?"

"Because it has to be in private. Just trust me," The teen pleaded. Although Dawn wasn't really buying it, she knew Ash was trustworthy.

"Okay fine. But as soon as we get out of this café and into somewhere private, spill it," The blue haired teen said, still not losing her expression of annoyance.

He nodded to that, just in time for the waiter to come back with the bill.

* * *

After paying the bill, the trio, now a quartet, walked into an alley. Entering the alley, Dawn turned to Ash, giving him a stern gaze.

"Explain," Dawn stated right off the bat. She was not playing games.

"Okay. The girl," He pointed at Latias, who waved, "Is the eon dragon Latias." If anyone else had told her something unusual like that, she would've laughed. But being Ash, she knew he wasn't bluffing.

"S-She's a pokemon?" Dawn asked hesitantly, which both Latias and Ash nodded to. 'So that's why she hasn't said a word!'

"B-But how is she a human then?" Ash put a finger on his chin, wondering how to explain that.

"Well, she has the ability to shape shift," The raven haired teen told her honestly.

"Okay, I get that part. But who's body is this?" The blue haired teen questioned him next, knowing this had to be an actual human being Latias was impersonating, right?

"The body she is shape shifted into right now is Bianca, an artist here in Altomare," Ash replied, earning a nod from the eon dragon.

"Alright, I'm starting to understand." This made Ash sigh in relief, until she finished her sentence.

"But, why was she so affectionate with you? The diving over the table, the tackle hug, the nuzzling, what was up with that?" Dawn asked, which Ash did _not _have an answer to.

Turning to face the eon dragon, Ash noticed Latias was blushing. He looked straight at her, eyebrow raised, which made her become quite flustered.

Dawn grew suspicious about this. 'Could it be that the eon dragon Latias has a crush on Ash?' This was something unexpected.

"Hmm. Well it looks as if Latias has a crush on you, Ash," The blue haired teen stated, making both of them flush. He looked at Latias once again, who had her head down.

"That true?" Ash asked her softly. She merely continued to look downwards, nodding lightly.

This made him stop completely. He thought about the moments they had four years ago, all the way up to when they (Him, Brock, and Misty) had to leave Altomare.

_**ASH'S FLASHBACK:**_

_All ready to leave, the trio of Ash, Brock, and Misty, were about to depart from Altomare. Ash noticed someone running up to the dock. Noticing it was Bianca or Latias, he assumed she wanted to see him._

_Getting onto the dock, he noticed her stop in front of him, confirming the fact she was here for him._

"_Hey, what did ya need?" Ash asked, grinning at her. She had a roll of paper in her hand, which she handed to him. He took it, touched that she was giving him a gift before he left._

"_Thanks for the-" He was interrupted as she leaned in and gave him a longing __kiss on the cheek. He felt intense sparks from the cheek kiss. 'What is this?'_

"_Eh?!" Was the simultaneous reaction from Brock and Misty._

"_Pika!" Pikachu squealed in glee. 'She wants to become his mate!'_

"_Wait, is that Bianca, or Latias?" Misty asked, still confused and a bit jealous._

"_I-I don't know! But I am so jealous!" Brock exclaimed. At least Brock was honest with his feelings._

_She lingered on his cheek for about six seconds, before looking him in the eye and running away._

"_W-Wait!" He tried calling out for her, before noticing she wasn't stopping. "…..Bye," Ash said longingly, watching her run away. He opened the paper roll, seeing a painting of him and Pikachu. 'That cheek kiss, whoever it was from, made me feel really warm.'_

_He got into the boat, not saying a word. This was an experience he would never forget._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

"That was you?" Ash asked after a moment, making Latias look at him in confusion.

"The cheek kiss, on the dock, was you?" The teen questioned again, making her surprised that he remembered that after all these years.

She merely nodded, confirming Ash's beliefs. He was conflicted. His own pokemon(soon to be pokemon) had a crush on him. He didn't even want to get started on Bayleef. 'I thought this would be all training! Not romance!'

He sat down on the curb, needing time to think. Latias and Dawn seemed to understand, as they sat on either side of him. Pikachu jumped in his arms. This made him smile softly. Dawn put her head down on Ash's left shoulder, which Latias did with his right. Pikachu snuggled into his chest. He laughed softly, enjoying the cuddly moment. They all closed their eyes, liking this moment greatly.

Mewtwo merely watched, feeling incredibly odd. He was never one for cuddly, mushy, and heartwarming moments. He was originally going to bring Ash to the secret garden, but Latias, being Latias, decided to find him herself. This made him chuckle. Every legendary knew of the giant crush Latias had on Ash. As Ash had helped every legendary from every region he had ever journeyed through, he was well known in the Hall of Origins.

The psychic type knew of Ash's potential, which was one of the reasons he wanted to become his pokemon. There were many other pokemon who wanted to be with Ash, besides Latias, Tyranitar, and himself. Mewtwo had only told Ash of Tyranitar and Latias as they were the most well known to him. Any of the legendaries _would_ help Ash, although many of them couldn't as they had their own duties.

**'He truly is a special human being.' **Mewtwo stopped his reminiscing, not wanting to get lost in his thoughts.

**'Ash,' **The psychic legendary stated softly to Ash. 'Hm?' Ash responded, sounding way less stressed out.

**'Should I just teleport you all to Mt Quena?' **Mewtwo asked, making the teen ponder about that. 'I still haven't told Dawn about how we got here,' Ash thought to himself.

'In a little while. I still need you to introduce yourself to Dawn,' The teen told the psychic type, getting a grunt in agreement.

Ash went back to enjoying the moment. Although he was still conflicted about his feelings, he was happy.

* * *

After a long while of peaceful silence, Ash decided to speak up. "Hey, it's time to-" He started, until noticing the trio had fallen asleep. This made him smile gently. They looked so peaceful, sleeping on him. He thought about if he had enough strength to carry two females with a Pikachu on his head.

He began to rise, before feeling the two females stir. They grabbed him, not wanting to let go. He tried again, making them whine in displeasure and hold on tighter. "I didn't know I had two titanium gripped females holding on to me," Ash deadpanned.

"**Need a little help?"** Mewtwo asked, floating to the bundled teen. Ash merely nodded, not wanting to sound sarcastic.

"Be gentle, please," The raven haired teen pleaded, not wanting them to suffer what he and Pikachu suffered in the morning.

The psychic type enveloped the two females in psychic energy, laying them softly on the curb. Ash got up, nudging Pikachu to get onto his shoulder, noticing the two stir awake, seemingly grabbing for him although he wasn't there.

Feeling nothing, Latias and Dawn got up, noticing Mewtwo floating in front of Ash.

Latias merely greeted him, while Dawn looked at him in surprise. After all, this was the first time she had ever seen Mewtwo.

"Woah! Who's that pokemon?" The blue haired teen exclaimed in wonder, taking out her Pokedex.

**Mewtwo, The Genetic Pokemon. **

**It was created by a scientist after years of horrific gene splicing and DNA engineering experiments.**

"Ooh," Dawn stated solemnly, feeling bad for the pokemon.

"**Do not have sympathy for me, girl,"** Mewtwo told her, making her flinch.

"Who said that?" The teen said, looking around.

"Mewtwo did," Ash informed her, pointing at the legendary. She looked back at the psychic type, who nodded.

"How do you know Mewtwo, Ash?" Dawn asked her raven haired companion. Ash thought about how he would say this.

"Well, let's just say I've known him since my journeys in Kanto," he answered her, not wanting to make her worry about how he died when he met Mewtwo.

"So Mewtwo is a Kanto pokemon, like Pikachu?" she questioned, pointing at the electric mouse, who squeaked at getting pointed at.

"**That's correct,"** Mewtwo boomed, making Dawn flinch once more.

"Ah!" The blue haired teen exclaimed, making Ash laugh. "You'll get used to it," Ash told her. 'I know I'm not used to it.'

"Now, it's time to explain everything," Ash stated, inwardly groaning at how long this would take.

* * *

After thoroughly explaining everything, Dawn finally understood.

"Wow! So you have two legendaries?!" The blue haired teen exclaimed, which Ash nodded to. "That reminds me. Latias," The teen stated, making her look at him.

"I need to catch you," Ash told her. She nodded immediately, knowing that if not, she would not belong to him.

He took out a poke ball, before Mewtwo spoke up.

"**You might as well catch me as well,"** The psychic type voiced, making Ash nod. He pulled out another poke ball, throwing one at Mewtwo. The ball showed no struggle, catching the psychic type with no fuss.

Ash picked up the ball, letting Mewtwo out once more.** "It's not as bad as Pikachu says it is,"** Mewtwo commented, which Pikachu vigorously shook his head at.

The teen threw the other poke ball at Latias, who had shape shifted back to her pokemon form to be caught. Once again, the ball showed no struggle, catching the eon dragon immediately. He let her out after, the same as he had done with Mewtwo. She transformed back into her human form, giving Ash a hug, which he returned.

Ash put the new poke balls of Mewtwo and Latias on his necklace, successfully filling the holders. Feeling totally bad-ass at having two legendaries, he gave off a slight smirk.

"Okay, we can go now Mewtwo," Ash told the psychic type. Mewtwo agreed, surrounded the trio, now a quartet, in psychic energy. They disappeared from the alley, landing on Mt. Quena.

"Release all your pokemon. This goes for you too, girl," Mewtwo said, walking around. The two teens nodded, taking out their poke balls.

"Come on out everyone!" They said in unison, throwing all the balls they had. Dawn threw six, while Ash threw 12.

"Piplup!" Piplup chirped, looking as sassy as ever,

"Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil squealed, blowing flames from his back.

"Mamo!" Mamoswine mooed, stomping it's hoofs around.

"Chipa!" Pachirisu squealed, looking around in confusion.

"Buneary!" Buneary cried, wearing her custom sewn vest,

"Toge!" Togekiss cried gracefully, taking quick flight.

Dawn's six pokemon each gave their significant cries. They looked at Dawn, who began to explain everything.

"Staraptor!" Staraptor squawked, flying around the mountain.

"Torterra!" Torterra roared, anxious to train.

"Bui! Bui!" Buizel cried, determined to become stronger and evolve.

"Gible!" Gible cried, jumping and chomping on his trainer's head. "Ah! Gible!" Ash exclaimed, trying and failing to get the little dragon off him.

"Infernape!" Infernape screeched, pumping his fists to battle.

"Raah!" Tyranitar boomed, stomping on the ground.

"Raar!" Charizard roared, shooting a flamethrower into the air.

"Sceptile!" Sceptile cried, putting his signature twig in his mouth.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot squawked, flapping her large wings.

"Hera!" Heracross cried, rubbing his horn.

"Free! Free!" Butterfree sang, flying around majestically.

"Ape! Ape!" Primeape screeched, jumping around to warm up.

"I didn't know you had these pokemon, Ash," Dawn said, looking at Heracross, Butterfree, and Primeape.

"Yeah. Heracross is a pokemon I caught in Johto. I got him back from Professor Oak's Lab. Butterfree, was something that surprised me. Same with Primeape," Ash said, beginning his reminiscing.

_**ASH'S FLASHBACK: **_

_"So what other pokemon did you want, Ash?" Tracey asked, getting ready to go get them._

_"I want-" Ash interrupted himself, seeing something in the background, behind Tracey._

_"Something wrong?" Tracey questioned, getting a shake of the head. He merely pointed behind Tracey, prompting the pokemon watcher to turn around._

_Turning around, he noticed a buff man, known as Anthony, in a car outside the corral. He drove away, leaving something behind. The something that was left behind, began to walk up to Tracey._

_"A Primeape?" The pokemon assistant asked himself, not knowing this pokemon. He noticed the monkey was holding a note._

_The note read:_

_**Hey Ash, it's Anthony. **_

_**I've given Primeape all the training he could need, and he's ready to come back to you. **_

_**Not only has he gotten stronger, he's the 5 time Undisputed P1 Champion! **_

_**He missed you dearly, so I dropped him off at the corral. **_

_**We already said our goodbyes, so don't worry about me leaving him here. **_

_**Have a nice life, Anthony.**_

_"So this is for Ash," Tracey assumed, walking with the Primeape back to Ash. Primeape's eyes turned to the size of dinner plates at seeing Ash. Pidgeot, noticing Primeape, gave her greetings, which the monkey returned._

_Tracey showed the letter to Ash, who read it from the screen. He was silent as he read it, not saying a word when he was finished._

_"C-Can I have Primeape to start," Ash stuttered after a while, seemingly unbelieving that he was getting two of his old pokemon back._

_As if getting two of his previously owned pokemon wasn't enough, soft, majestic, bug calls were heard._

_"No way, no fucking way," Ash said to himself, getting ready to cry._

_The calls became more frequent, until a tiny flying bug pokemon was seen. This was a Butterfree. Not just any Butterfree, Ash's Butterfree. Ash knew it was his as Butterfree still had the yellow scarf on._

_Butterfree had left his mate, who had left him a while ago. He was no longer sad, as the Butterfree only liked him when he was all heroic. She didn't like anything else about him. That being said, he went to look for Ash, remembering that he kept his pokemon at Professor Oak's laboratory,_

_"BUTTERFREE!" Ash screamed, hoping the bug type would hear his scream and come to the screen. Fortunately, he did. He curiously followed what sounded like his old trainer's voice, making it to the screen._

_Noticing Pidgeot and Primeape, Butterfree greeted them. After the greetings were done between the trio of pokemon, they began to hear sniffling. Primeape and Butterfree looked at each other, then looked at Pidgeot, before the trio of pokemon began looking at Ash. Their eyes widened, at seeing him crying._

_"T-This is amazing. M-My pokemon that I've been without for s-so long," The raven haired teen sniffled, making each pokemon get teary eyed._

_"T-Tracey. Please give me these three, along with Charizard, Sceptile, and Heracross," Ash told the pokemon watcher, who nodded immediately._

_After receiving the pokemon, Ash quickly gave a goodbye to Tracey._

_He released Butterfree and Primeape, as Pidgeot was too big for the Pokemon Center for now. _

_He hugged them both, which was immediately reciprocated. Trying his best not to wail, he thought of the good times. This eased his brain, making him smile brightly. 'Life is too short to not cherish everything. I should have cherished these two when I had them. Thank Arceus they were able to come back.'_

_After a while, they released. Ash knew he would have to do this again with Pidgeot, but did not mind. He was just happy he was able to get these three, meaningful pokemon back._

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

Dawn smiled at Ash sweetly. "Ash you're such a sweetheart." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, making Ash blush in embarrassment.

"**Okay, mushy time over. It's time to train!"** Mewtwo exclaimed, riling up the other 20 pokemon. He had already made a few plans, as now he was training 21 pokemon, including himself, instead of 15.

"**To start, we will have the pokemon of the same type train to make their attacks more powerful. Next, we will set up each pokemon with a type advantage to practice the super effectiveness, then type disadvantage to practice the resistance to them. After that, we will work on speed and endurance, by having a marathon run. To end the training session, we will work on move learning. Am I making myself clear?"** Mewtwo said, earning roars and cries of agreement.

"**These groups will last until the first day of The Lily of the Valley Conference, understood?"** The psychic type asked once more, getting fiercer cries than before. Mewtwo smirked at the energy, turning to Ash.

"**Alright. Ash, group up your pokemon with the girl's by type. Remember, I count as a pokemon as well," **Mewtwo ordered, which Ash nodded to. After all, Mewtwo was helping him.

"Okay. Since I have 15 pokemon and you only have 6, I'll group six of mine with yours, and the rest of mine will be grouped together." Ash said, earning a hum of agreement from Dawn.

"Infernape, you're with Cyndaquil. Practice your fire type attacks to make them stronger." Both fire types nodded, walking away to another part of the mountain.

"Buizel, you partner is Piplup. Go to the lake and practice your water and ice attacks." The water types agreed, heading for the lake.

"Pikachu, you're with Pachirisu. Go to the rocky areas of the mountains and practice your electric type moves on them." The mice cried in consent, scurrying to the rocky areas.

"Torterra, you're with Mamoswine and Sceptile. As both of you are ground types, and you and Sceptile are grass types, you can practice your grass and ground type moves together. Go to the depths of a cave to do so. We don't want any earthquakes so close to everyone else." The two bulky and one speedy pokemon agreed, walking away into a cave.

"Staraptor, your partner is Togekiss. Fly off into the sky and practice all of your flying moves together." The two flying pokemon flew into the sky, making sure they weren't too close to anyone else.

"Hmm. Since I don't have a normal type, I'll set up Buneary with Pikachu and Pachirisu as Buneary and her evolved form can use fighting type moves so she can practice on the rocks as well." Buneary nodded, although more excited than she should be. She quickly hopped to the rocky areas, keen on finding her favorite mouse.

Ash chuckled at her excitement. "So what do I do now?" Dawn asked the psychic type.

**"****Go around checking all of your pokemon. Give them encouragement if they need it or any tips they could use. Remember, they are ****_your _****pokemon."** Dawn nodded at that, going for the lake to start.

"Alright, continuing on. Pidgeot will go with Charizard, as you are both flying types. Charizard is already trained in his fire moves, as he has become the strongest Charizard of the Charizific Valley." Charizard nodded at that, before gesturing to Pidgeot, as the two flying types flew to another spot in the sky, away from Staraptor and Togekiss.

"Primeape will train with Heracross and Butterfree. As Heracross and Primeape are both fighting types, while Butterfree and Heracross are both bug types, it would be better if they all trained together." The trio of pokemon agreed to Ash's words, two flying and one stomping to find a spot to train.

'Oh jeez. Four pokemon left. Tyranitar is rock-dark, which no one else has,' Ash pondered, unsure of how to train Tyranitar.

**"****I have an idea,"** Mewtwo said, getting Ash's attention.

"**I'll train with Tyranitar, as he is a dark type and I am a psychic type. It will be good training for me. Also, I have fighting type moves which can be used against Tyranitar as well." **Ash nodded to that.

"Okay then, you heard him Tyranitar." The beast roared in agreement, following Mewtwo to another side of the mountain.

"And finally, Latias and Gible. You are my only dragon types, and I'm more than happy about that. Train your dragon type attacks to be as strong as possible. With training like this continuing, Gible, you will become a Garchomp in no time." The dragons, with Latias becoming her pokemon form once more, nodded to Ash's orders.

Gible hopped on the eon dragon's back, and they flew away to another part of the mountain.

Ash smiled to himself, excited and anxious of how this would go. He knew that with his 15 pokemon, and Dawn and Latias by his side, anything could be accomplished.

"Look out Sinnoh League! The winner is right here! And his name is Ash! Ash Ketchum!" Ash yelled into the sky, his fist high into the air.

Latias and Dawn both heard his cry, each giggling. 'Typical Ash,' They thought in unison.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**So yes, training is finally happening. I won't write out completely every single day of training, but I won't just skip until the conference. That would be lazy. **

**I also hope you like that I brought back Primeape and Butterfree. Primeape has always been one of my favorite pokemon and I knew I couldn't forget about him.**

**Thanks for reading! See ya!**


	9. The Road to Success

**Hello Readers, it's Jay1414, back with another chapter of my story, Reason.**

**So I started school on Tuesday, and boy was it hectic. I don't think it'll deter me from writing, as long as I don't get piles of homework, and as long as other aspects of school don't get in my way.**

**That being said, this update was two days late. I'm sorry about that.**

**That's all for now, on to the fic!**

**"Dialogue"**

**'thoughts/other speech**'

**"Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason_:

_'Oh jeez. Four pokemon left. Tyranitar is rock-dark, which no one else has,' Ash pondered, unsure of how to train Tyranitar._

_**"****I have an idea,"** Mewtwo said, getting Ash's attention._

_"**I'll train with Tyranitar, as he is a dark type and I am a psychic type. It will be good training for me. Also, I have fighting type moves which can be used against Tyranitar as well." **Ash nodded to that._

_"Okay then, you heard him Tyranitar." The beast roared in agreement, following Mewtwo to another side of the mountain._

_"And finally, Latias and Gible. You are my only dragon types, and I'm more than happy about that. Train your dragon type attacks to be as strong as possible. With training like this continuing, Gible, you will become a Garchomp in no time." The dragons, with Latias becoming her pokemon form once more, nodded to Ash's orders._

_Gible hopped on the eon dragon's back, and they flew away to another part of the mountain._

_Ash smiled to himself, excited and anxious of how this would go. He knew that with his 15 pokemon, and Dawn and Latias by his side, anything could be accomplished._

_"Look out Sinnoh League! The winner is right here! And his name is Ash! Ash Ketchum!" Ash yelled into the sky, his fist high into the air._

_Latias and Dawn both heard his cry, each giggling. 'Typical Ash,' They thought in unison._

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Road to Success!**

"Sceptile! Bullet Seed!" Ash called to the reptile. The speedy grass type nodded, firing tiny seeds, heading to the face of Mamoswine.

"Counter with Ice Shard!" Dawn retaliated. The giant pokemon complied, blowing chunks of ice directly at Sceptile's Bullet Seed. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out.

"Now! Leaf Blade! Finish this!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, throwing his hand in an arc.

"Oh no you don't! Mamoswine stop him with Ice Beam!" Dawn shot back, not willing to lose.

The two pokemon complied to their trainers orders, with Sceptile using his impressive speed to quickly close the distance between himself and Mamoswine, arm blades glowing with powerful grass type energy. Mamoswine waited until Sceptile was near, before shooting a chilling beam of ice. Sceptile shivered and winced from the super effective attack, but fought through it as this was the training.

Same Type Training, the first part of training, was a great success. Although Ash knew no one had gotten significantly better as it was only the first day, he knew that they would grow better in due time.

The groups of pokemon got along well, swearing to their partners that with their help, they all would get better in time. It was really exciting to think about the end results to all this training. The support Ash was getting from Mewtwo, Latias and Dawn, gave him much more confidence that he would definitely win the Sinnoh League, and also beat Paul. It was the best support he could have ever asked for. The thought of Paul had left his mind for a little while, but it always came back to give him more drive to train harder.

They were currently in the second stage of training of Day One of training; Type Advantages/ Type Disadvantages. Why Sceptile and Mamoswine were paired together, is pretty self explanatory.

The list of the pokemon for Type Advantages/ Type Disadvantages is as follows:

Sceptile – Mamoswine (Grass – Ice/Ground)

Mewtwo – Heracross – Buneary (Psychic – Bug/Fighting) (Bug/Fighting – Normal)

Tyranitar – Primeape (Rock/Dark – Fighting)

Cyndaquil – Buizel (Fire – Water)

Infernape – Piplup (Fire/Fighting – Water)

Torterra – Togekiss (Grass/Ground – Flying/Normal)

Butterfree – Charizard (Bug/Flying – Fire/Flying)

Latias – Gible (Dragon/Psychic – Dragon/Ground)

Staraptor – Pachirisu (Flying/Normal – Electric)

Pidgeot – Pikachu (Flying/Normal – Electric)

On another note, Ash was still heavily conflicted about his feelings. Now knowing that Latias had a long term crush on him, made him feel extremely guilty. He couldn't hurt either one of them, he just couldn't.

Thinking about Latias, just made him feel so warm. It was the same exact feeling he felt with Dawn. They were so identical, it made his head spin. Why couldn't things be easier for him?! Why?!

Ash broke out of his conflicting thoughts, watching in awe as Sceptile continued to sprint for Mamoswine, taking the full force of the Ice Beam.

'T-This is for A-Ash. I-I can do this. I-I-I CAN!' Sceptile screamed in triumph, feeling Overgrow overstimulate his senses.

'AAAAH!' The grass type screeched, sprinting straight through the Ice Beam.

'What the?!' Mamoswine questioned, in pure disbelief at witnessing Sceptile pass through the Ice Beam as if it was water.

The reptile was a blur, sprinting at a speed he had never gone to before. It felt exhilarating, feeling the wind pass his body like a tornado. The wind spun around his waist, and most notably his feet. He had a title as Ash's Fastest Pokemon, and was proud of it.

"Scep-TILE!" Sceptile screeched once more, thrusting his arm blades and slicing Mamoswine. The wind gave him a boost, allowing him to swipe the giant pokemon 10 times per second.

"Mamo!" Mamoswine cried, feeling the intense, quick paced pain that the giant pokemon couldn't defend against.

"Tile! Tile! Tile!" The reptilian pokemon exclaimed, running on pure adrenaline. 'Haha! This feels just as exhilarating like when I defeated that Deoxys!'

Still in awe at seeing Sceptile slash Mamoswine at unbelievable speeds, Ash noticed the reptile's blades change color. They went from normal green to lime green!

"W-What is that?! X-Scissor?!" Ash remarked, pleasantly shocked.

Sceptile stopped his utter thrashing, having heard his trainer's remark and also feeling a new power on his arm blades. Looking at them, his eyes widened at seeing the color.

'X-Scissor?' The grass type questioned himself. He knew that his kind could learn X-Scissor, but he had learned from the Elder Treecko back when he himself was a Treecko, that only those Sceptile who have made it to their prime potential would be able to learn X-Scissor. After learning it, they would be able to run faster than before, and would gain intense power. It was something like an evolution, although Sceptile's appearance did not change.

'I'm in my prime potential?' Sceptile questioned himself once more. Feeling intense pride at making it to his prime, he looked over at Mamoswine, who was barely standing, still feeling the intense thrashing Sceptile gave it.

He crossed his arms, successfully making the X formation. Looking over to Ash, he nodded.

"Sceptile! X-Scissor!" Ash exclaimed, raising a fist in triumph. The reptile merely smirked, his leaf blades glowing lime green with intense bug type energy.

"Tile!" The grass type screeched, slicing Mamoswine fiercely.

"Get him off with Ice Shard!" Dawn said desperately. Mamoswine complied, blowing the ice pieces into Sceptile's face. The lizard ignored the shards albeit wincing, continuing to slice Mamoswine. He was running on pure adrenaline as of now, and wanted to use it to his advantage.

'Don't wanna relent huh? Well fine by me,' The blue haired teen said to herself, ready to counter this seemingly unstoppable Sceptile.

"Double-Edge! Send him flying!" Dawn commanded, throwing her hand forward for emphasis.

The giant pokemon got a running start and got ready to throw itself at Sceptile, putting all it's weight into it.

'Shit. If that attack hits Sceptile, he's finished!' Ash said to himself, realizing and remembering that Sceptile's adrenaline wasn't going to last forever.

He looked around the part of the mountain they were located at. He quickly saw a giant boulder behind Sceptile. Making his plan, he smirked at Dawn, who looked back at him with a look of curiosity.

'Mamoswine can't turn when using Double-Edge. This has to work,' Ash assured himself.

"What's he up to?" Dawn pondered.

"Sceptile! I know you don't have this move but use Taunt on Mamoswine!" The raven haired teen ordered, making Sceptile raise an eyebrow at that but nod as Ash wouldn't plan anything stupid.

Sceptile stopped his thrashing once more, observing Mamoswine swipe it's hoofs on the ground.

'Hey Mamoswine! Come and get me you big Slowpoke!' The grass type taunted, sticking out his tongue and pulling down an eyelid. Even though he would never do this for any other reason, Sceptile knew it would help the battle as Ash commanded.

'Why you!' Mamoswine exclaimed, a tick mark on it's forehead. The giant pokemon swiped it's hoofs more fiercely, before taking off at a faster speed than it should have.

Taking off directly at Sceptile, Mamoswine had no idea nor way of stopping. Dawn was content with what she was seeing, until she noticed the boulder behind Sceptile.

"Oh no!" Dawn exclaimed to herself, realizing the grave mistake she put herself in by making Mamoswine use a move where it couldn't stop unless it crashed into something. And by the looks of it, the boulder was it's crashing point.

Mamoswine continued on, a few feet away from Sceptile.

Waiting for the right moment to retaliate, Ash made his move.

"Agility!" The teen commanded, knowing that Sceptile could only dodge the move that way. Sceptile seemingly disappeared from the spot he was, reappearing to the side of Mamoswine. The giant pokemon turned it's head, noticing Sceptile on the right side of it. Sceptile waved kindly, knowing exactly what was going to occur as of now.

'Oh Arceus!' Mamoswine exclaimed, seeing the boulder. It crashed into the boulder, stopping it in it's tracks.

The giant pokemon shook itself, trying to get all the rubble off. Realizing that it was stuck in between four extremely bulky rocks, the giant pokemon looked over at Sceptile, who was looking at Ash for the next move.

Ash gave a quick look to Dawn, as if giving her a small apology. She nodded solemnly, knowing she was screwed as of now.

"I can call it off if-" He was interrupted by the other teen, merely shaking her head in the negative.

"No, Ash. A battle is a battle," Dawn replied simply.

He wanted to protest, but had to agree that a battle is a battle. After a moment, he nodded.

"Sceptile! Finish it with Leaf Blade!" Ash ordered, throwing his arm down. The lizard nodded, having sympathy for Mamoswine as it was unable to do anything about this.

Running to the giant pokemon, Sceptile's arm blades glowed once more their normal green. Jumping slightly in the air, wanting to avoid the rocks, the reptilian pokemon did a small flip, slicing Mamoswine multiple times on it's head.

Mamoswine cried from the hard hits, unable to take anymore. It fainted, still stuck in between the rocks.

Dawn returned the giant pokemon, telling it how good it did versus one of Ash's best pokemon. She looked over at Ash, who was busy complimenting Sceptile on his hard work, which the reptile took in kind. She smiled softly, knowing that Ash loved his pokemon dearly. That was one of the reasons she fell for him.

Speaking of falling for someone, she wondered how this had suddenly turned into a love triangle. Dawn had to admit she had acted rather irrational in the café, but was happy to know that Latias had no bad feelings towards her at all. That relieved her greatly, as she was scared that Latias would Mist Ball her as they were both crushing on the same guy. Either way, she knew that Ash still had to make a decision about this whole love thing.

Breaking herself out of her thoughts, she noticed Ash walk up to her, Sceptile returned to his ball.

"Hey, Mewtwo let me know that everyone is done," The raven haired teen informed, standing next to her. She smiled at him.

"That's great!" Dawn chirped, making Ash laugh softly.

"But, Mewtwo also told me that all of our pokemon are way over spent. Seems they fought themselves to sleep, hehe," Ash explained, rubbing the back of his head. He held out an arm for her, which she took.

"So, where is everyone?" The blue haired teen asked, as they walked out of the mountain spot they were battling at.

"In the main area where Mewtwo brought us to earlier today. They're eating right now," The teen replied, releasing Sceptile once again. He cried in acknowledgment, before noticing he wasn't in a battle.

"Scep?" The grass type asked, looking at his trainer in confusion.

"Time for dinner, Sceptile," Ash responded, rubbing the reptile's head. The lizard merely nodded, not showing he was super hungry, although his stomach was rather empty.

"Don't you wanna release Mamoswine? I'm 100% sure it's hungry," Ash suggested, chuckling.

"Oh, that's true," Dawn replied, releasing Mamoswine once more. The giant pokemon looked pretty wounded, which was understandable as it had just finished a battle.

"Time for lunch Mamo-" Not even able to finish her sentence, Dawn watched Mamoswine sprint to the main area. The two teens and one pokemon sweat dropped, as even when it was wounded, Mamoswine would sprint for food.

Shaking their heads at the giant pokemon's always existent hunger, the trio of Ash, Dawn and Sceptile continued on to the main area.

* * *

Entering the main area, the trio each got their fair share of greetings, some more affectionate than others.

"Latias, please," Ash pleaded, being squished rather tightly by the eon dragon, who was extra heavy as she was in her dragon form. She got off him, not wanting to suffocate the teen.

Getting up with the help of Dawn, Ash looked at Mewtwo, who looked alright, not tired nor perfectly energetic.

"We'll eat at the Pokemon Center," The raven haired teen said to the psychic type, who nodded to his words.

"**I'll come get you at around 9 tomorrow, but you can leave the pokemon here," **The legendary responded, speaking to both teens, who nodded at that.

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, which was obvious as Pikachu always slept with Ash.

The mouse got into the teen's backpack, wanting to get an early start on sleep from this long day of training.

Getting ready to leave, Ash noticed all the rest of his and Dawn's pokemon go into parts of the mountain to get some well deserved rest. All but one. Latias stayed, watching him.

They locked eyes, with Ash going nervous. 'What's wrong with her?'

"Something wrong, Latias?" The teen asked, noticing how she was seemingly glued to the spot.

The eon dragon gave off a couple coos, which prompted Ash to look to Mewtwo for translation.

"**She doesn't want to leave your side, as she waited four years for you," **Mewtwo translated, hitting Ash's heart greatly. He mentally berated himself for being such an imbecile. 'I can't believe myself. She waited four years for me and I expected her to be alright here?'

"I'm sorry. Let's go, Latias," Ash said in true guilt, brightening the eon dragon up instantly.

She flew over to the trio, as Mewtwo teleported the four back to Lily of the Valley Island.

* * *

Landing inside the forest, Latias immediately turned to her human form, as Bianca.

"Latias," Ash stated, prompting her to look at him in intrigue.

"You might wanna make a custom human form for yourself, as you're going to be sleeping with me and Brock will recognize you as Bianca," The raven haired teen told her, before noticing Dawn look at him with wide eyes. He looked over at Latias, who had the same expression.

Realizing how suggestive that sounded, he immediately waved his hands in front of himself, becoming quite flustered. "Not like that! I meant just in the same room!" Ash assured the two females, laughing nervously.

Nevertheless, Latias seemed to look thoughtful for a couple of moments, before transforming into a new human form. This form was something that made Ash gawk in shock, and Dawn scoff and cross her arms to.

She had long blonde hair which reached to the small of her back, pale skin with sparkling blue eyes, a beautiful set of white teeth, a dimple on her right cheek, and soft red lipstick. She wore a long sleeved white shirt, with a half red and half blue sleeveless vest. She also had on dark blue jeans, accompanied with black boots.

'She's beautiful,' Ash said to himself in awe, seemingly lost for words.

'Why did she have to go for Ms. Beauty Queen?' Dawn stated to herself, not necessary liking how Ash was gawking at her.

Latias noticed Ash's staring, blushing furiously. He noticed her flush, before blushing as well and stopping his gazing.

"What should your name be?" Ash asked her, after they both calmed down some.

She shrugged, not knowing what to be called. The raven haired teen studied her, trying to make up a good name for her. Dawn did the same, as she needed to be named something.

"Nicole?" Latias shook her head.

"Lindsey?" Another shake.

"Ashley?" Nope.

"Layla?" Nah.

"Kelly?" Another negative.

"I suck at names," Ash admitted, giving up on this name hunt.

"Wait! I got it!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed, gaining the two's attention.

"How about Sapphire?" The blue haired teen suggested, getting an energetic nod from Latias.

"Yeah! It works since your eyes are Sapphire!" Ash agreed.

"So Sapphire it is!" Dawn declared. Latias smiled at the name, making Ash's heart flutter. Seeing that smile, made him explode inside. 'Am I, falling for her too?' Ash thought to himself. He had feelings for Dawn which were big, but now he was feeling intense warmth for Latias as well. 'But I can't like both of them, can I?'

"You okay, Ash?" His blue haired companion asked, looking at him in concern. Latias, now known as Sapphire, rubbed his arm, cooing in support.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We should go back to the Pokemon Center before our group comes to find us again." Ash said, as they began the trek back to the Pokemon Center with each of the girls holding onto one of Ash's arms.

* * *

Making it to the entrance, Ash stopped. The two females looked at him in confusion.

"Sapphire," Ash stated, as people could now hear him. She cooed at him in confusion, not knowing why they hadn't entered yet.

"Since you can't talk as you don't know human speech, I'm going to say that you are mute, okay?" The teen asked, which was answered with a nod. After all, she had no way of communicating with any human any other way.

Walking inside, Ash noticed how full the Pokemon Center was. Looking around, he noticed many people, mainly guys, stare at him and the two girls. 'Why are they staring?' The teen asked himself, noticing Gary among the guys. Gary walked up to them, immediately noticing Ash's look of confusion towards the guys.

"They're ogling the girl who's hanging off your arm, Ashy-Boy," The professor's grandson told his fellow native , gesturing to the blonde, making Sapphire go instantly embarrassed.

The raven haired teen felt a burning feeling fill up his insides. 'What's this feeling? Jealousy?' Ash asked himself, curious.

Ash's ex-rival noticed his expression change, before seeing that it was Dawn hanging off his other arm. Eyes widening, he looked at Ash directly, who looked back at his ex-rival.

Gary's expression soon changed into a smirk, making an eye motion to Dawn, which made Ash realize how he looked right now. Not only was Sapphire hanging off his arm, Dawn was as well.

"It's not what it-" Ash tried to deny what his ex-rival was thinking, but Gary wouldn't have it.

"Ah! So Ashy-Boy scored double on his first game!" Gary interrupted, pretending to swing a baseball bat.

This made the three of them blush furiously, confirming the brunette's beliefs.

"Wow Ash, never thought you had it in you!" Gary exclaimed, nudging the teen.

Ash was too flustered to give a reply, so Dawn did it for him.

"Damn it Gary, did you have to be so loud so the whole Pokemon Center could hear you?!" The blue haired teen said, noticing how the guys looked at Ash in pure envy and the girls looked at him in surprise.

"Whoops, sorry," Gary half apologized, "It's just that this is the first time Ash has shown any interest in any female! He had so many chances with the girls he traveled with, I thought he was gay!" The professor's grandson admitted, saying it a little too loud.

Ash moved away from Dawn and Sapphire, looking at his ex-rival with a rather scary look. Gary recoiled at the look, realizing he might have crossed the line.

"A-Ashy-Boy...You kn-know I was just joking," The brunette said hesitantly, noticing Ash get slowly closer.

"Raah!" Ash yelled, sprinting for Gary. The Pallet Town native shouted in surprise at seeing his fellow native's expression, before sprinting away.

"GET BACK HERE OAK!" The raven haired teen shouted once more, tailing the brunette from a few feet.

"Ashy-Boy! L-Let's talk about this!" Gary exclaimed, sprinting away as fast as he could.

Dawn and Sapphire merely watched, knowing that Gary had brought this on himself.

"Wanna get some dinner?" Dawn asked her, getting a nod, although Latias had already ate. They walked to the cafeteria, leaving Ash still chasing Gary.

* * *

We find Ash walking into the cafeteria, with a slightly wounded Gary. He didn't hurt him too badly, just gave him a limp is all.

Looking around for Dawn and Sapphire, Ash found them at a table around the east corner. Sitting down with his ex-rival after getting food, they began to eat.

"Wow Gary, you don't look as beat up as I thought you would be," Dawn commented, noticing Gary didn't look too wounded, almost like he fell down the stairs.

"Gee, thanks for the support," The brunette replied grouchily, furiously eating his steak.

Ash ate his burger, gleeful as can be. He laughed at Gary's glare at him, knowing that the brunette was still grumpy about earlier.

"Cheer up, Gare-Bear. At least I didn't try to get _you _embarrassed!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, which only brightened his ex-rival slightly.

"Yeah, I guess," The professor's grandson admitted, knowing that his self image wasn't ruined.

They continued to eat and chat, with Gary brightening up after a while and joining the conversation. He had learned that Sapphire was mute, and that she knew Ash from when he journeyed through Johto.

* * *

Nighttime came, with the quartet of teens walking up to their rooms.

"Well, Goodnight guys," Gary said, about to enter his room, before noticing Sapphire was still there.

"Uh, where is Sapphire going to sleep?" The brunette questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, she's sleeping with me," Ash replied, with Sapphire nodding at that.

Gary's mind went on overdrive from that response, but he kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting another chase.

"O-Okay, well, once again, Goodnight," Gary stated, walking into his and his grandfather's room.

The trio looked at one another, with Dawn smiling at the two.

"Goodnight guys!" The blue haired teen chirped, leaning in and giving Ash a kiss, and Latias a hug.

"Goodnight Dawn!" Ash exclaimed, with Latias merely cooing.

Dawn then walked into her and Delia's room, leaving only Ash and Sapphire.

"Well, time for bed," The raven haired teen stated, opening the door, with Sapphire following him in.

Noticing that Brock was asleep, Ash sighed in relief.

Going to wash up, Ash went to change into nightwear. Ash came out, and went into his bed, after taking out an asleep Pikachu from his backpack and placing the mouse on the bed. Sapphire had also washed up and changed into nightwear, consisting of Latias pajamas.

He noticed Sapphire standing in front of his bed, not knowing whether or not to get in. Ash made a hand motion for her to enter, which she gladly accepted. Getting under the covers, she snuggled up to Ash, putting her head on his shoulder.

Ash smiled softly at her peaceful look, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, not knowing why he just did that. Sapphire's smile visibly brightened, although Ash did not notice.

Ash yawned, before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep like his starter and Sapphire.

What Ash and Sapphire had forgotten, was that Brock would see them in the morning, as he woke up first.

* * *

The next morning, Brock woke up from his deep dream of being a doctor with his own Nurse Joy. Stretching, he grabbed his clothes for the day, getting ready to shower. After he came out fully dressed however, he heard 3 different kinds of snoring. That was unusual, as he usually only heard two. First, was 'chu, chu' which was Pikachu's. Second, was the muffled snoring known as Ash's. Lastly, was a soft, feminine snore which confused Brock. He looked over at the bed of Ash, before almost fainting. There was Ash all right, with his arm around an unknown female and her head on his shoulder!

"EH?!" Brock shrieked, waking up the three. Pikachu looked at him in slight annoyance at being woken up, while Ash and Sapphire looked at him in panic, eyes wide.

'Shit! I forgot Brock would see us in the morning!' Ash said to himself.

'Brock?' Sapphire said to herself, remembering the guy from four years ago.

Noticing that Brock was still staring at them, eyes the size of dinner plates, Ash immediately denied what Brock was thinking.

"IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Yes, yes, the Altoshipping was strong with this chapter.**

**That being said, don't worry Pearlshippers, I haven't forgotten about you.**

**So to clarify, whenever Latias is in her human form, she'll be known as Sapphire by everyone. When in eon dragon form, she'll be known as Latias.**

**Once again, I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading, see ya!**


	10. A New Friend, Enter Bianca

**Hey readers, Jay1414 here as usual.**

**I was incredibly happy when writing the first part, then I was feeling rather shitty when writing the second part, then totally love-struck in the third part. I don't think you'll notice the difference in my writing style when I get into a bad mood, but it's possible.**

**Let me just say that this chapter will be all over the place like Chapter 6, but it is necessary to move on with the story.**

**I don't want to spoil anything, so here you go.**

**"Dialogue"**

**'thoughts/other speech'**

**"Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts/Mewtwo's poke speech**

_"Sapphire's whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_He noticed Sapphire standing in front of his bed, not knowing whether or not to get in. Ash made a hand motion for her to enter, which she gladly accepted. Getting under the covers, she snuggled up to Ash, putting her head on his shoulder._

_Ash smiled softly at her peaceful look, wrapping an arm around her shoulder._

_He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, not knowing why he just did that. Sapphire's smile visibly brightened, although Ash did not notice._

_Ash yawned, before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep like his starter and Sapphire._

_What Ash and Sapphire had forgotten, was that Brock would see them in the morning, as he woke up first._

* * *

_The next morning, Brock woke up from his deep dream of being a doctor with his own Nurse Joy. Stretching, he grabbed his clothes for the day, getting ready to shower. After he came out fully dressed however, he heard 3 different kinds of snoring. That was unusual, as he usually only heard two. First, was 'chu, chu' which was Pikachu's. Second, was the muffled snoring known as Ash's. Lastly, was a soft, feminine snore which confused Brock. He looked over at the bed of Ash, before almost fainting. There was Ash all right, with his arm around an unknown female and her head on his shoulder!_

_"EH?!" Brock shrieked, waking up the three. Pikachu looked at him in slight annoyance at being woken up, while Ash and Sapphire looked at him in panic, eyes wide._

_'Shit! I forgot Brock would see us in the morning!' Ash said to himself._

_'Brock?' Sapphire said to herself, remembering the guy from four years ago._

_Noticing that Brock was still staring at them, eyes the size of dinner plates, Ash immediately denied what Brock was thinking._

_"IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"_

* * *

**Chapter 10: A New Friend! Enter Bianca!/Brock's Best Day?**

"Not what it looks like?!" Brock exclaimed, breathing heavily. "What is it then?!" The Pewter City native questioned, feeling extremely woozy.

"Nothing happened Brock! I just slept with her!" Ash answered his friend, before immediately shutting his mouth. 'Damn it! I said it again!'

Brock fainted, not able to take anymore trauma to his perverted mind. 'He's only 16! Yet he does this before I do!'

Ash sighed, getting out of bed. He noticed Sapphire was still looking at the fainted Brock, an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Come on," The raven haired teen urged, grabbing her hand and taking her out of bed. "I don't want someone else to come in here and suspect something, especially not my mother." He shivered at that thought, knowing that his mother would freak out way more than Brock did.

She merely nodded, knowing it could possibly get worse than how it was now.

"By the way," Ash stated, prompting her to look at him. "Can you write?"

Sapphire recoiled slightly at the question, before nodding. Bianca taught her how to read and write a couple years back so she wouldn't be mistaken as illiterate.

Nodding to himself, the Pallet Town native went to the back of the room, pulling something out of his backpack.

The blonde looked at the item in curiosity, taking it when Ash basically shoved it into her hands.

"My mom packs everything, and I mean everything,"The teen told her, chuckling to himself when thinking about his mother's neediness for him. 'She always was so protective of me, not wanting to lose me like dad.'

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Ash went to go wash up, taking a slightly irritated Pikachu with him. Seems he was still annoyed at being woken up.

Sapphire looked at the item in her hands, which was a whiteboard with a black marker. 'I guess it's so Ash can understand me?' The blonde thought to herself, opening the marker and practicing her letters to make sure she still had it down.

The raven haired teen came back out after a while, fully clothed in his usual attire, with Pikachu at his usual spot on his shoulder. Ash noticed Sapphire was currently writing, eyes widening at seeing the perfect handwriting. 'Wow, even a pokemon writes better than me.' He sulked to himself, thinking about his poor academic skills.

"Your turn to wash up," Ash stated, breaking Sapphire out of her writing frenzy. She wrote on the board, before showing it to Ash.

_"Okay, I'll wash up now."_

Walking into the bathroom, she left the whiteboard with the marker next to the door. Smiling to himself, Ash waited patiently, content at finding a way for Sapphire to communicate with him. It wasn't the only option, another choice being Sign Language. He had quickly ruled that out, not knowing anyone who knew Sign Language to even teach it to her. Another was for him to learn poke speech, which was also ruled out as he had no idea how to learn it.

Sapphire came back out, fully dressed. She wrote something on the whiteboard, showing it to Ash.

_"I'm going to have breakfast with Dawn. Come down when you're ready."_

Ash nodded to the words. Sapphire came him a hug, which he returned. Pikachu jumped on Sapphire's shoulder, which she took in kind. She walked out the door, whiteboard in hand, leaving Ash to himself.

The raven haired boy noticed Brock stir from his fainting, rising up slowly.

"Morning Brock!" Ash greeted the ex-gym leader, waving slightly.

"Don't you 'Morning' me," Brock stated, pointing a finger at Ash. "You need to explain who that was in your bed." This surprised Ash, as Brock had not said anything out of jealousy. Until...

"And explain how you did it so fast!" The Pewter City native exclaimed, grabbing Ash's shoulders. Ash sweat dropped at the begging Brock. 'Typical Brock,' The teen deadpanned to himself.

"Well for one, I didn't 'sleep' with her," Ash clarified, making sure Brock's mind had cleared up from that perv spasm. "She just slept in my bed with me because she needed a room and I didn't want her sleeping on the floor. That's all," The Pallet Town native explained, giving Brock a stern gaze to make sure he understood.

"Okay, I get that," Brock stated, seemingly his mature self once more. "But, who is she?"

"Her name is Sapphire," Ash informed his friend, pondering how he could say this. "I met her in Johto."

"Johto?" The ex gym leader questioned, putting a hand on his chin. "I traveled with you in Johto, and I have no memory of seeing her."

'Damn, I forgot that small detail,' Ash said to himself. "Well, it happened when I was alone, around the Silver Conference," The teen lied, knowing that now was not the time to tell the truth about all of this. He would tell everyone eventually, but just not until the Conference.

"Oh, I see," Brock said, nodding his agreement. Ash sighed in relief, happy that whole questioning was done.

"But," Or not. The raven haired teen groaned to himself.

"But, what?" Ash responded, nervous of what he would ask.

"Why was she sleeping in your bed? And why did you two seem like some sort of couple?" Brock asked, hitting the nail on Ash's nerves.

"Uh... Hey look a Nurse Joy!" Ash exclaimed quickly, pointing outside their window.

Brock gasped, sprinting to the window. This made Ash sweat drop once more. 'Damn it Brock. You might be super smart and good with pokemon, but you're the biggest perv I've ever met.'

"Nice try Ash," A voice said from behind Ash. He turned around, gulping slightly at Brock's pissed off expression.

"Did you really think that would work?" The Pewter City native said, arms crossed.

"...Yes?" Ash said hesitantly, knowing Brock would gladly push him out the way to get to a Nurse Joy.

"And when have I ever ran crazily to a Nurse Joy?" Brock questioned, seemingly reading Ash's mind, which made the raven haired teen snicker.

"What's so funny?" The ex-gym leader asked, noticing how Ash looked at him with a grin that just read 'are you serious'.

"Do I need to say it?" Ash asked his brown haired companion, who nodded.

Shrugging at the answer, the raven haired boy began his reminiscing.

**Crazy Brock Montage:**

Vermillion City

"Hey Nurse Joy! Can you heal my- WAH!" Ash started, before being shoved out of the way harshly by Brock, as the ex gym leader grabbed the sweet nurse's hands, beginning his love sharing.

"Oh Nurse Joy! The way your eyes shine, brighter than the sun!" Brock began, not even noticing the sweat drop on Nurse Joy's head.

"Ow..." Ash groaned, draped over the floor, as Misty grabbed Brock by the ear.

"You and I together, we can-"

"Ah! My ear!" Brock exclaimed, being dragged away by Misty.

"Come on, lover boy," The red head mumbled, not letting go of his ear.

Blackthorne City

"Nurse Joy, can you heal my- AH!" Ash was shoved out of the way by Brock, who immediately grabbed the Nurse's hands.

"Oh Nurse Joy! Your beauty is only matched by your excellent nursing services!" Brock foretold, his eyes all sparkly.

"Ow...again?" Ash moaned, landing on a plant.

Shaking her head, Misty stormed up to Brock, grabbing his ear.

"I may be a bit younger, but my intelligence and charm makes up for-"

"Ow! Ow! That hurts!" Brock whined, which Misty did not listen to.

"I need to get you on a leash, lover boy," The Cerulean City Gym leader deadpanned, shaking her head the whole time.

Petalburg City

"Hi Nurse Joy! Can you heal my pokemon please?" Ash asked, surprised he was still standing.

"Of course dea-" Nurse Joy was interrupted, as Brock shouldered Ash out of the way, grabbing the surprised nurse by the hands.

"Oh Nurse Joy! Such delicate hands you have. They fit perfectly in mine!" The brown haired trainer sang, his hair flowing.

"Ow..." Ash whined, having landed on a table. May gave him her hand, which he took to rise up off the coffee table.

Max shook his head, mumbling to himself that Misty made sense when she said his job of taming Brock would be irritating.

Grabbing his ear, he held nothing back.

"The most beautiful Nurse Joy I've ever met! Please, tell me you'll-"

"Ah! Ow! Max!" Brock whined, not liking the trauma his ear was taking.

"Gee, Misty was right. You do need a leash," Max stated as he dragged him away, sighing.

Hearthome City

"Hey Nurse Joy! Can you heal our poke- UAH!" This time, both Ash and Dawn needed their pokemon healed, but Brock, being Brock, double shoved them out of the way.

Ash landed on something fluffy, while Dawn merely landed on the floor.

"Oh Nurse Joy! I am but a poor heartthrob, looking for some love to replenish his heart!" The Pewter City native said gracefully, his entire appearance becoming more dashing.

"Ow..." Dawn groaned, feeling the hard impact from the floor.

"Pika Pika..." A voice growled under Ash. Ash looked under himself, noticing the mouse that belonged to him.

His cheeks were sparking, prompting Ash to quickly wave his hands in front of his face.

"W-Wait! It wasn't my fau- AHHHH!" Ash could not finish his sentence, as he was shocked to his core.

Croagunk let himself out of his ball, shaking his head. 'My trainer may be a great guy, but he really deserves these Poison Jabs I give him,' The dual poison fighting type deadpanned, jabbing Brock in the stomach.

"With you by my side, I know that-"

"AUGH!" Brock yelled in intense pain, collapsing to the floor. Croagunk grabbed his feet, dragging him away.

'Geez, Brock,' The frog said to himself, having done this so much it was a daily routine of sorts.

**Crazy Brock Montage End:**

"And the Officer Jenny ones-"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Brock interrupted Ash, not needing to hear the Officer Jenny ones as well.

"So you admit you are totally girl crazy?" Ash asked with a smirk which Brock nodded to, sulking slightly.

"Yeah. But it never works out for me," The Pewter City native sulked, gaining a dark aura around himself.

"You know," Ash stated, prompting Brock to look at him.

"There _is_ that Battle Frontier Brain. Lucy, wasn't it?" Ash questioned, making Brock gain a look of intense recognition.

"I may have been a dense boy back then, but now, I can tell that she was interested in you Brock," The raven haired teen said, patting his friend's shoulder.

It motivated him for a second, before he gained a new thought. "Yeah, was_. _I doubt that she even remembers me, let alone likes me," Brock declared, sinking more into his dark aura.

"Why don't we find out?" Ash suggested, breaking Brock out of his sulking immediately.

"B-But how?" Brock said in disbelief, shaking slightly.

Ash gave him the sliest of smirks, one Brock had never seen before.

"What's with that look?"

"Oh, nothing," Ash told him, the smirk seemingly stuck on his face.

"Ash, don't do this to me," The ex gym leader pleaded. "Tell me."

"Oh, fine," Ash replied, the smirk still present, as if glued on. "I don't know if you know this, but I have the number of every single person I've ever helped. From names from The Sensational Sisters to the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, I have them all."

Brock's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates from that statement. 'What?! Is Ash some sort of Playboy?!'

"No way," Brock said, not believing that Ash had all of this information.

"Yes way," Ash retorted, chuckling at the older male's disbelief.

The younger male made a 'follow me' motion, which Brock quickly listened to. Getting to his backpack, Ash pulled out a giant book, which had the title _Phone Numbers._

Handing it to Brock, the ex gym leader looked through the book as if it was golden.

Noticing the different sections, Brock opened to the section titled _Favorite Females._

"The Sensational Sisters and Misty, Giselle, Lorelei, Casey, Macey, Kaitlin, Karen, Melody, Bianca, May, Shauna, Greta, Lucy, Anabel, Dawn, The Café Sisters, Gardenia, Maylene, Candice, Fantina, Angie, Zoey, Ursula, Lyra, and Cynthia," Brock read, seemingly lost for words.

He flipped to another section, labeled _Champions. _'There's no way he has all the champion's numbers,' Brock said to himself.

"Lance, Drake, Steven Stone, and Cynthia." 'Damn it, he does!'

"B-But I've never seen you talk to any of them by phone!" Brock exclaimed, still scanning the golden book.

"That's because I don't wanna bother them," Ash admitted. "I talk to some of them a lot, like Lyra for example."

"How is she?"

"She's great! Apparently she's going to compete in the Silver Conference next month," The Pallet Town native answered the older male.

"That reminds me," Ash stated. "I need to call a lot of people after this," The teen realized, thinking of the tongue lashing he was going to receive for not calling in a while.

"Anyway, is it time to call Lucy?" The raven haired teen asked, gaining the same smirk.

"I-I don't know, she might be busy," Brock answered nervously.

"Come on Brock, be a man!" The younger male exclaimed in a beefy voice, trying to rile Brock up.

"That's not going to work Ash," The Pewter City native deadpanned.

"Oh, is it because you aren't a MAN?" Ash replied in an even beefier voice.

"Ash..." The ex-gym leader gave Ash that 'are you fucking kidding me' look.

"OH! SO YOU AREN'T A MAN?!" Ash exclaimed, nearly screaming at the older male.

"Ash, come on," Brock stated once again.

"YOU WANNA KNOW HOW I GOT ALL THESE NUMBERS?!" The raven haired teen boomed into Brock's face.

"...Sure?" Brock stated hesitantly.

"BY BEING A MAN!" Ash bellowed.

"ALRIGHT! FINE!" Brock yelled, looking up Lucy's number in the book. Ash inwardly smirked at his plan working perfectly. 'I knew that would rile him up and give him courage.'

As Brock was about to walk out the door, Ash stopped him.

"Brock," The teen stated, giving the older male a serious look. "Don't tell anyone about this book. This was supposed to be my little secret, and I intend to keep it that way."

The ex gym leader nodded, understanding that Ash would want to keep this private.

"Now, call Lucy and make her yours! Like a real man!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, pushing Brock to the door.

Feeling the courage he needed, Brock nodded, determined to make Lucy his.

"Yeah!" The breeder shouted, clenching a fist in determination.

"Go get her Brock!" Ash motivated, fist high in the air, as Brock marched out the door.

"Hm, should I go to breakfast with Dawn and Sapphire or should I try to call someone since I have time?" Ash pondered to himself, putting a hand on his chin. As he was now alone, he could do so in private, like he always did.

Deciding to call someone, Ash quickly checked his book for a number, before heading out the door with the rest of his gear.

* * *

Crossing around the cafeteria to not be seen, Ash went to the phones. Seeing Brock on the left lanes, Ash went to the right ones so Brock couldn't spot him.

Approaching the phone, Ash dialed the number. 'Gee, I hope she picks up,' The teen thought to himself, knowing that the female may not be at home as of now.

…...Ring, Ring, Ring.

…...Ring, Ring, Ring.

"Hello?" A voice asked, picking up the phone on the other side.

"Hey, it's Ash!" Ash said, grinning. The female grew a look of surprise, before grinning back at him.

"Hello Ash! How have you been?" The woman asked, as she currently combing her hair.

"I've been great! How are you?" The raven haired teen replied with a smile.

"I'm doing great as well! So, not that I don't enjoy talking to you, but was there a reason you wanted to call all of a sudden?" The female questioned, leaning closer to the screen.

"Actually, there is," Ash stated. "I need some advice."

"Oh, sure! What kind of advice exactly?" The female asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...L-Love advice," The teen replied, feeling his face heat up.

Giggling at his face, the female grew a face of interest.

"Oh, really?" The woman asked teasingly, making Ash go slightly red.

"Come on, stop messing with me," Ash pleaded bashfully.

"Alright, fine," The female relented with a slight giggle.

"So the thing is Johanna..."

* * *

Brock stared nervously at the telephone screen. 'Alright, t-time to call Lucy.'

Steeling himself for the encounter, Brock put in her number.

…...Ring, Ring, Ring.

…...Ring, Ring, Ring.

…...Ring, Ring, Ring.

"Hello?" The woman known as Lucy, the Pike Queen asked, picking up the phone.

"H-Hey! It's me! Brock!" Brock stuttered slightly, grinning nervously at the Pike Queen.

She gained a look of recognition, before breaking into a slight smile.

"Brock! So good to see you!" The raven haired woman exclaimed, twirling her hair.

"It's good to see you too!" The Pewter City native replied, gaining some of his confidence back at how she seemed incredibly comfortable talking to him.

"So, what did you want?" Lucy questioned, gaining an expression of intrigue.

"W-Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to, e-er," The ex-gym leader stammered, feeling his courage wavering.

"If I wanted to what?" The Pike Queen asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.

"Ifyouwantedtogooutwithme?" Brock asked quickly.

"Could you repeat that?" Lucy said, not understanding what he said.

Brock sighed, knowing that there was no turning back now. 'Be a man, Brock!' He heard Ash's voice in his mind.

"Would you like to go out with me?" He finally asked, looking at her nervously.

She smiled at him, before chuckling, then laughing. Brock took this as a rejection, sighing deeply.

"S-Sorry for wasting your time," The brown haired breeder told her in defeat, ready to end the call.

"Oh, Brock. You got it all wrong!" Lucy told him, making him look at her in surprise.

"Huh?" He stated in confusion.

"You see, I talk to Ash about twice every month, and he always tells me about you. He tells me about how you aspire to become the best breeder, and how you are very good with pokemon," Lucy reminisced, before gaining a nervous expression.

"A-And, I let him know that I admire you for the things that you do, and that I h-have a crush on you," The Pike Queen admitted nervously, looking down slightly.

Brock looked downwards, his mouth open as he realized that Ash had indirectly told him that Lucy wanted to date him. He looked back up when he noticed Lucy was about to speak.

"S-So, yes, I'll go out with you." Hearing that, Brock was ready to begin dancing.

"But," Lucy stated all of a sudden, breaking Brock out of his thoughts.

"But, what?" The Pewter City native asked, sensing another rejection.

"It has to be when Ash is done with the league, as I can't leave the Battle Frontier right now," The Pike Queen told him, which Brock had to understand. Even though he was disappointed that he could not be with her now, it made sense that she couldn't see him now because of her role as Pike Queen.

"That's fine," Brock said, regaining his normal voice once more. "I'll come to Kanto after Sinnoh, and we'll see how it goes from there."

She nodded, accepting the request.

"Well, I have a challenger. Bye Brock!" Lucy exclaimed, blowing him a kiss.

"Bye!" The brown haired breeder replied in glee, catching the kiss, and putting it to his heart.

Getting up out of his seat, Brock basically skipped his way to the cafeteria. "Ash, you're the best!"

* * *

"Are you sure, Johanna?" Ash asked nervously, looking very red.

The woman nodded. "Yes, Ash. You need to make this decision yourself. No one else can help you in deciding. But don't worry, take your time," Johanna reassured in a soft, relaxing voice.

"Thanks so much. Now I know that I don't have to pick right away." He thanked her profusely, which she merely brushed away.

"Don't worry about it, it was my pleasure."

"Thanks again, bye!" Ash exclaimed, waving at the woman before ending the call.

Getting out of his seat, Ash felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. Now, he knew that he had all the time he needed to make a decision.

Walking to the cafeteria, Ash smiled brightly. "What a great morning!"

* * *

"Where the heck is he?" Dawn asked, tapping impatiently on the table.

Sapphire shrugged, writing down something on her whiteboard.

_"I have no clue. Last time I saw him, he was in our room staring at the unconscious Brock."_

"Speaking of Brock," The blue haired teen stated, pointing at the entrance of the cafeteria. Sure enough, there was Brock. Although, Brock wasn't walking inside the cafeteria. He was skipping.

_"Why is he skipping?"_ Sapphire wrote on her whiteboard.

"I have no idea," Dawn replied, dumbfounded.

The skipping breeder galloped into the line, got his breakfast gracefully, before skipping over to the two females.

"Hello Dawn! And hello Sapphire!" Brock sang, placing down his breakfast.

_"Did Ash introduce me to you?" _The blonde wrote, eyebrow raised at the male's gleeful attitude.

Nodding, Brock dug into his scrumptious breakfast.

"Where is Ash then?" Dawn asked the ex gym leader, who stopped his eating momentarily to answer her question.

"I have no idea," The breeder admitted. "When I was leaving the room, he was still in there."

Putting a hand to her chin, Sapphire wrote on her whiteboard once again.

_"Maybe he's coming here now?"_

As if answering her question, the aforementioned teen burst into the cafeteria, visibly gleeful, just not as much as Brock.

After quickly grabbing some breakfast, Ash plopped himself next to Brock.

"Hey guys!" The teen exclaimed, giving both females a kiss on the cheek.

They blushed simultaneously at the affection, while Brock was left slack jawed.

"Where have you been?" Dawn asked suspiciously, still slightly flustered.

_"Yeah, you took longer than I thought you would,"_ Sapphire wrote, giving Ash a curious but also slightly miffed look.

"Well, I was helping Brock out with something. Right Brock?" Ash nudged the older male, who was currently in a daze from seeing how Ash acted towards Dawn and Sapphire and how they acted with him.

"Y-Yeah! Thanks a lot, by the way!" Brock exclaimed, patting Ash's shoulder.

"No problem man! It's what friends are for!" The Pallet Town native replied, high fiving the older male.

"What's he talking about, Ash?" The blue haired teen questioned curiously, with Sapphire nodding, also curious.

"Just something that he needed help with is all, don't worry about it," Ash answered his blue haired companion, giving Brock a stern glance.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about," Brock reassured, giving a thumbs up.

The two females looked at the other two in intense suspicion, before dropping it.

_"So, when is training?" _Sapphire wrote.

"Later, in about an hour," Ash replied, checking his Pokedex.

Digging in, Ash began to eat his delicious meal. He noticed Brock kept looking between the three of them, which made him remember that Brock saw him kiss both of them on the cheek.

'Shit, I broke the secret myself,' Ash realized, continuing to eat at a moderate pace.

The four were silent, as it seemed that Sapphire and Dawn had realized it as well, as Brock did not look calm at all. He looked shocked.

Ash finally spoke up after a long moment of silence.

"Brock? What's with that look?" The teen asked his friend.

"You have some explaining to do," Brock replied, looking at Ash with a serious expression.

The three looked at Brock nervously.

"You, Ash, seem very friendly with Dawn and Sapphire, and vise versa," The ex gym leader stated, making Ash gulp slightly.

"B-Brock, it's not what it-"

"Yes, yes it is," Dawn finished for Ash, causing Sapphire and Ash to stare at the blue haired teen in shock.

"Ash, we can't keep this from Brock. He's our best friend," The blue haired teen said, as Brock smiled at her honesty.

The raven haired teen sighed, nodding. "Okay Brock, I'll tell you." Brock nodded.

"Dawn has a crush on me, as does Sapphire," Ash finally admitted, hearing gasps behind him.

"What?! I was right?!" Gary exclaimed, coming up with his breakfast.

"My baby has crushes?!" Delia squealed, coming up as well.

"My, my, Ash. You are quite the ladies man," Oak commented, easily the most mellow out of the three.

'Son of a bitch,' Ash cursed in his mind.

'What are the odds,' Dawn lamented to herself.

'Wow,' Sapphire stated in her mind.

Brock fainted once more, his mind on overdrive. 'I can't believe this!'

Ash sighed once more, irritated that his secret was out so quickly.

"I need to go outside for a little bit," The teen said in a stoic tone, getting up out of his chair. Pikachu jumped up to his shoulder, but Ash set him back down.

"Pika pi?" The mouse questioned his trainer in confusion.

"Sorry Pikachu. Just me this time," Ash stated solemnly, walking out of the cafeteria.

Sapphire tried to get up to follow Ash, but Dawn stopped her.

"He needs his time," The blue haired teen told the blonde, who nodded in sadness.

The group was silent, not having anything to say after Ash's abrupt depart.

* * *

Outside, Ash walked as far away possible from the Pokemon Center, heading who knows where.

"I never asked for any of this," Ash ranted. "Why me?! Why did it have to be me?!"

Continuing to rant, Ash kicked around some rocks on the ground furiously.

"Why Arceus?! What did I do to deserve this?!" The frustrated teen yelled into the sky.

"Now I have to make a decision and break one of their hearts! Thanks a lot!" Ash breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. The more he thought about his situation, the more it frustrated him.

'Fuck it! Fuck it all!' Ash screamed in his mind, breaking into a sprint.

Feeling the intense wind from his sprint, influenced Ash to sprint faster. All that could be heard were the heavy breaths Ash was taking.

He wasn't looking where he was going, only looking straight ahead, running all the way to the other side of the island.

"I can't take this! This was supposed to be training! Why me damn it!?" The Pallet Town native yelled as he continued to sprint through the morning.

Continuing to sprint, Ash heard a feminine voice in the distance. Ignoring the voice, the frustrated teen continued to run in a mad frenzy.

Once again, Ash could hear a feminine voice, only closer this time. Now, he could make out the words. "Outta the way! Outta the way!"

"Outta the way?" Ash repeated in confusion, continuing to run but not as aggressive. Beginning to hear rapid footsteps, Ash realized they weren't his.

Looking forward and squinting, Ash noticed a blonde haired female speeding towards him, not looking to be stopping anytime soon.

"Outta the way! Outta the way!" The female exclaimed, continuing to run towards him.

'Oh, shit!' Ash cursed in his mind, realizing he was running too fast to stop abruptly.

"W-Wait! Sto-" Ash tried to stop her, until she collided with him, hard.

**SPLASH**

Landing in the river he was running next to with a giant splosh, he noticed the girl had fallen in as well.

Ash groaned, looking at his soaked clothes. He glared at the female next to him, until he noticed her expression.

Her expression was of pure nervousness. As if she knew she had caused this herself.

"Oh!" The blonde haired female exclaimed in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you into the river!"

Feeling bad at how apologetic she was being, Ash sympathized with her.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ash assured with a smile.

"A-Are you sure?" The girl asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's fine," The teen replied, giving her his signature grin. Seeing the grin, the girl had to grin back.

Getting out of the river, Ash looked at the teenage girl. Giving her a hand, the two stood up and looked at one another.

"So, what's your name?" The blonde questioned him, currently wiping her glasses.

At seeing her standing up, Ash could finally get a good look at her.

She had short, blonde hair with emerald eyes and red glasses with the frames being red on the bottom and clear on the top. She wore a white and black shirt, with an orange and white jacket that was left open with a hood, and an emerald shoulder bag. She had on emerald pants that were pulled up to over her kneecaps, orange heeled shoes with black shoelaces, and to top it all off was a green beret with a white bow.

"Wow," Ash stated, never seeing a girl who dressed like her. Not to mention she was cute in that nerdy type of way.

Ash noticed the girl was still waiting for a reply.

"Oh, right," The raven haired teen said in embarrassment. "My name is Ash. What's yours?" Ash asked, holding out a hand.

She winked at him, before taking his hand. "My name's Bianca! Nice to meet you!" The blonde now known as Bianca chirped.

"Not to be rude, but you seem to dress differently than anyone I've ever seen," Ash admitted, looking her up and down.

Feeling slightly flustered at the way he was looking at her, the blonde answered him nonetheless. "Oh, that's because I'm from Unova," Bianca told him, fixing her glasses.

"Unova? Where is that?" Ash asked, eyebrow raised.

"It's a region that's not connected to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, nor Sinnoh. That's probably why you don't know about Unova."

"Ah, I see," The Pallet Town native said in agreement, before realizing something.

"If you're from Unova, what are you doing here?" Ash asked in curiosity.

"I'm here for the Sinnoh League, see?" The blonde replied, showing him her badge case.

Hearing this, caused Ash to gain a large grin. "Me too!" He pulled out his own badge case.

"That's cool!" Bianca exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"So, why are you all the way out here and not at the Pokemon Center?" Ash questioned her next, causing Bianca to blush slightly.

"Something wrong?" The raven haired teen asked, noticing her grow quiet.

"Oh, it's nothing," The blonde reassured him. "I just got kind of, well, lost."

Ash laughed at that, causing her to pout.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Bianca exclaimed, hands on her hips.

He looked at her once more, before nodding. "I can help you get there, as I was just there a while ago."

Bianca visibly brightened at hearing that, before nodding as well. "Sounds great!"

"So, shall we?" Ash asked in a fake regal voice.

"We shall!" The blonde haired trainer responded in an equally fake voice. They both laughed at that.

Following the raven haired teen, the newly met Bianca walked alongside Ash as they went in search for the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Eh, maybe I forgot where it was." Ash said nervously, noticing how lost they were.

Bianca giggled at him, seemingly not annoyed that they were lost because of Ash.

"Well, there's a village over there." The blonde pointed out. Sure enough, there was a village with several wood cabins scattered around. Pokemon hopped around, chatting, eating, or just plain sleeping. It looked really peaceful to the two teens.

"Wanna check it out?" The raven haired teen asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Bianca responded with a smile, as they entered the village.

Looking around, Ash and Bianca spotted a giant house in the middle of the village. Silently deciding to check it out, the two teens entered the house.

Entering the giant cabin house, it was full to the brim with Gliscor and Gligar!

"Gliscor! Gliscor! Gliscor! Gligar! Gligar! Gligar!" They chanted in greeting to the two.

"Wow! A Gliscor house!" Ash exclaimed in glee, before noticing something. There was a Gliscor there, who was looking at him with a surprised expression.

"W-Wait," Ash stated, noticing Bianca stop next to him.

"What is it Ash?" The blonde haired trainer asked, tilting her head slightly.

"T-That Gliscor looks familiar," The Pallet Town native told her, approaching the Gliscor.

"Gliscor!" It exclaimed in excitement, getting closer to Ash. Noticing the bat had it's tongue out, this made Ash realize who this was.

"Gliscor!" Ash exclaimed, running up to it in happiness.

"Gli!" It cried, jumping into Ash's arms.

Wincing at it's giant stinger, Ash hugged his pokemon kindly.

"How are you?" The teen asked the bat, remembering that Gliscor had left his Aerial Training and had gone to live with his family, who had relocated.

"Gli Gli!" It stated, nodding it's head that it was great.

"That's great!" Ash said, not noticing how confused Bianca was.

"Uh, Ash?" The blonde asked, feeling totally ignored.

"Yeah?" Ash retorted in glee.

"You wanna explain?" Bianca questioned, eyebrow raised.

Stopping himself, Ash chuckled softly.

"R-Right," The teen said nervously. "This is Gliscor, a pokemon who I used to own." He motioned to Gliscor, who winked with a "Gli!".

"Oh! So this is like a reunion?" The blonde haired trainer exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Nodding to her, Ash smiled at his bat pokemon. It truly was great to see it after the many months it had been gone.

Plopping himself down with Bianca, Ash decided to stay around with the Gliscor for a while.

* * *

After a while, Ash noticed it was getting late. 'Jeez, how long have we been here?'

Getting up, all the little Gligar who were sitting on him fell off in a bundle.

"Hehe, whoops," The Pallet Town native stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"So, it's time for us to go guys," Ash said, nudging Bianca who was covered in Gligar as well.

"Huh? I'm up.." Bianca replied sleepily.

All the bat pokemon whined at that statement, not wanting the two to leave.

"Sorry guys, but we have to find the Pokemon Center!" Bianca exclaimed solemnly, grabbing her shoulder bag.

"Gli..." They said sadly in unison.

Walking out the door, Ash noticed two of the bat pokemon follow them out. One was a Gligar, while the other was a Gliscor, Ash's Gliscor.

"What is it, Gliscor?"

"Is something wrong, Gligar?" Bianca asked the little bat.

The two bats made motions with their claws to themselves, and then to the two teens.

"You want to come with us?" Ash asked, getting a nod from the two bats.

"Well, that's fine with me!" Bianca chirped, throwing a poke ball at the Gligar, catching it with no struggle.

"Same with me, Gliscor." After returning Gliscor into it's old poke ball, Ash and Bianca walked out of the village, hoping to find the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Geez, I am terrible with directions!" Ash said in slight frustration, kicking a rock.

"Don't worry, we'll find our way at some point," Bianca reassured, patting the irritated teen's shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so," The raven haired teen admitted, knowing that being positive was the best way to go about that.

They walked along the darkening grass, looking around for any source of life. The sun was going down, all of the pokemon were heading home for rest.

"Gee, it sure is getting dark," Bianca commented, unable to see much.

"I hear ya, Bianca," Ash replied in agreement, making sure the two of them stayed close.

Turning on his Pokedex, Ash read the time. 9:43 PM.

'It's later than I thought,' The Pallet Town native said to himself, thinking of the tongue lashing he would receive when they found their way back.

"Ash?" Bianca stated, prompting Ash to look at her, eyebrow raised.

"Even though we're lost, I'm glad I'm not alone," The blonde told him with a smile.

"Yeah," Ash replied, smiling back at her.

* * *

Continuing the trek in the darkness, Ash and Bianca noticed a house which was lit up.

"We have no choice," Ash lamented, not wanting to intrude on this person's night.

"Agreed," Bianca said.

Approaching the white steps, the two teens got to the front door, with Bianca knocking on it softly.

A creak was heard as footsteps grew closer to the door, with someone opening the door.

"Hello?" The person asked, who was an elderly lady.

Ash gawked at the sight of the lady. "B-Bertha?"

"Yes, it's me Ash," Bertha replied, ushering the two teens in.

"I'm assuming you two got lost?" The woman asked, hitting the nail.

"H-How did you know?" Bianca asked hesitantly.

The elite four member chuckled softly before answering the blonde. "I noticed from my window two teens who were looking around confused. Let's just say I guessed."

Chuckling nervously, the two teens sat across from Bertha on a black leather couch, while she sat in a wooden rocking chair.

"Do you need a roof over your head for tonight?" Bertha asked, pouring the two some tea.

Taking a sip of the tea, which was surprisingly sweet, Bianca answered the elderly lady.

"Yes, but just for tonight is fine."

"We don't want to intrude," Ash told her, who merely shooed away his intrusion.

"Don't worry about it Ash," The elderly lady reassured. "After all, a woman does get kind of lonely when she lives alone."

Nodding to that logic, the two teens looked around. The house was brown, with a dining table in the center, a leather couch which the teens were sitting on, a rocking chair Bertha was sitting on, a shelf with badges and a certificate of the Elite Four, a few portraits around the walls, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small bedroom.

"Wow, nice house you've got here," The blonde commented, continuing to look around.

"This house?" Bertha asked. "I've had this house for nearly 20 years and it still appears to me as dull."

Chuckling at the woman, Ash took a large sip of his tea. "So where will we sleep?"

"The couch is fine, don't you think?" Looking at the size of the couch, made Ash wonder how this would work.

"Isn't it rather small?" Bianca stated, noticing the miniscule space the couch had.

"Well, it's all I have. Unless you wanted to sleep in this creaky old thing." Bertha pointed at the rocking chair, which indeed was creaking rather frequently.

"Good point," The blonde teen replied, fixing her glasses which had fogged up from the tea.

"Well, I'm going to turn in," Bertha stated, rising up from her chair. "Bathroom's to the right, kitchen's to the left. Make yourself at home." Walking away, she left the two teens to get ready for bed.

"You can sleep on the couch," Ash told the blonde, trying to make his shirt into a pillow.

"No, that would be cold of me!" Bianca said, noticing how hard the floor was.

"I'll be fine, Bianca. Don't worry about me," The raven haired teen reassured, lying down on the ground.

Bianca looked down at him with a frown. Ash noticed her staring, not liking her expression.

She continued to look at him, trying to persuade him to sleep on the couch with her expression.

"That's not going to work," Ash deadpanned, although Bianca did not budge. He tried closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her, but then she began to clear her throat repeatedly.

"Fine!" The Pallet Town native relented, rising off the floor. Her expression dissipated immediately, changing into an amused smile.

"Don't give me that look," Ash told her grumpily.

"Oh, cheer up!" Bianca chirped. "At least your back won't be hurting in the morning!"

"Eh, I guess," The teen stated, getting on the couch.

They both took one side of the couch, which was not that comfortable.

"Goodnight Ash!" Bianca said cheerfully, poking the teen's nose.

"Hey! Stop that!" Ash exclaimed, feeling her repeatedly poke his nose.

"Why should I?" The blonde asked playfully.

"Because I want to sleep!" The teen told her, starting to smile slightly.

"Or maybe I could keep you awake until you stop being such a grumpy boy?" Bianca replied, continuing to poke his nose.

"Ugh, fine!" Ash relented, giving her a grin.

"That's better!" Bianca exclaimed, stopping her assault on Ash's nose.

"Well, Goodnight, Bianca!" Ash told her, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight to you too, Ash!" The blonde responded, closing her eyes as well.

Then, they finally fell into a nice, but not so comfortable sleep.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**So yes, new characters.**

**I hope you enjoy the new characters as much as I do.**

**Thanks for reading, bye!**


	11. The Training Continues

**Hello! Jay1414 here with the new and revised version of my chapter!**

**Well for some of you it's still merely chapter eleven.**

**So, I'll try my best to make this chapter relevant to the plot, get some shipping in, get some training in, y'know the usual.**

**Also, thanks for 100 followers! I really appreciate the support.**

**Now, without further ado, here's the newest chapter!**

**"Dialogue"**

**'thoughts/other speech'**

**"Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts/Mewtwo's poke speech'**

_"Sapphire's whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_Bianca looked down at him with a frown. Ash noticed her staring, not liking her expression._

_She continued to look at him, trying to persuade him to sleep on the couch with her expression._

_"That's not going to work," Ash deadpanned, although Bianca did not budge. He tried closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her, but then she began to clear her throat repeatedly._

_"Fine!" The Pallet Town native relented, rising off the floor. Her expression dissipated immediately, changing into an amused smile._

_"Don't give me that look," Ash told her grumpily._

_"Oh, cheer up!" Bianca chirped. "At least your back won't be hurting in the morning!"_

_"Eh, I guess," The teen stated, getting on the couch._

_They both took one side of the couch, which was not that comfortable._

_"Goodnight Ash!" Bianca said cheerfully, poking the teen's nose._

_"Hey! Stop that!" Ash exclaimed, feeling her repeatedly poke his nose._

_"Why should I?" The blonde asked playfully._

_"Because I want to sleep!" The teen told her, starting to smile slightly._

_"Or maybe I could keep you awake until you stop being such a grumpy boy?" Bianca replied, continuing to poke his nose._

_"Ugh, fine!" Ash relented, giving her a grin._

_"That's better!" Bianca exclaimed, stopping her assault on Ash's nose._

_"Well, Goodnight, Bianca!" Ash told her, closing his eyes._

_"Goodnight to you too, Ash!" The blonde responded, closing her eyes as well._

_Then, they finally fell into a nice, but not so comfortable sleep._

* * *

**Chapter 11: ****The Training Continues!****/Return to the Pokemon Center!**

In the small, but cozy house of Bertha, three figures, Ash, his bat pokemon Gliscor, and Bianca, were currently being served breakfast by the elite four member.

"Bertha, you didn't have to do this," Ash said bashfully, feeling bad that he was mooching off this woman.

"Don't worry about it Ash," The elite four member reassured, taking a sip of her tea.

"Thanks a lot for letting us stay here!" Bianca exclaimed, a gleeful expression on her face as she drank her orange juice.

"It was my pleasure," Bertha responded, rubbing Gliscor's head.

"Gli!" It exclaimed, liking the touch. The bat had already finished it's meal, so now it was simply enjoying the way Bertha was rubbing it's head.

"So, you'll give us directions to the Pokemon Center?" Ash asked, taking a bite of his eggs.

"No," The elderly lady replied, causing the three others to stare at her in shock. "I'll take you there."

"You don't have to do that!" Bianca protested. The elite four member merely shook her head.

"I have business to attend to there, so it will save all of us time if I just gave you a ride there." The two teens had to nod at that, as it would be stupid not to let her take them.

"Alright, thank you," Ash responded, getting back into his meal.

'Gee, I hope I didn't worry anyone too much,' The raven haired teen said to himself.

'Wait,' Ash realized. 'Why hasn't Mewtwo come for me?'

'**Because, Dawn said you needed time,' **A voice in his head boomed. Ash flinched, catching the attention of the other three.

"Are you alright?" Bianca asked worriedly, seeing the boy nearly jump out of his seat.

"I'm fine, just chills is all," The teen reassured with a nervous laugh. Nodding reluctantly, Bianca accepted his reason.

Back to Mewtwo, Ash spoke in his mind. 'She said that I needed time?'

**'Yes,'** Mewtwo stated. **'She said that she realized how tough this whole triangle thing,-which I know nothing about- must be for you, which is why she didn't want me to search for you.'**

Smiling softly at how Dawn was okay with him sprinting off, Ash sighed in relief, thankful that he wouldn't be getting chewed out when he finally got back to the Pokemon Center.

'I'll be there soon,' Ash told the psychic type, who merely grunted in agreement.

**'Alright,' **The pokemon replied. '**Oh, by the way,' **Mewtwo said, remembering something.

'Hm?' Ash questioned, curious what Mewtwo wanted.

**'You missed training,' **The psychic type responded, making Ash gulp slightly.

'I'm sor-'

**'But don't worry about it,' **Mewtwo reassured. **'I'll let it slide this one time, seeing how you ran all the way to the other side of the island.'**

Sighing in relief but also feeling slightly sheepish at how much he ran, Ash nodded mentally.

'See you soon,' Ash said to the pokemon.

**'Likewise,' **Mewtwo responded, before breaking the psychic link.

Finishing his breakfast, Ash got up out of his chair after noticing everyone else was done. Gliscor jumped onto his back, which it found to be quite comfortable. Ash laughed at the bat, feeling quite bulkier from the pokemon being on his back.

"Ready to go?" Bertha asked, grabbing her keys.

The two adolescents nodded, following Bertha outside.

* * *

"Wow! Nice car!" Ash complimented.

"A PSE!" Bianca exclaimed, seeing the sparkly white car, making equally sparkled stars appear in her eyes.

"Thank you, this was a gift from my grandson," The elderly woman responded, opening the doors and letting the two teens and one pokemon get in.

After everyone was seated and secure, Bertha began the engine, and they were off.

Looking out the window, Ash smiled softly. It was a beautiful day. Kids were walking around with their loving parents, pokemon strolled through the warm grass, trainers and athletes crossed through the roads, eager to get to where they needed to be. The sunlight covered Ash and Gliscor with a bright, joyous heat that warmed them up inside.

"What a beautiful day!" Bianca chirped, smiling at all the little pokemon that were scurrying around.

"Yeah. Gli," Ash and Gliscor agreed, sighing in happiness.

"This was the reason why I decided to live on Lily of the Valley," Bertha said, breaking the three out of their slight euphoria.

"For the beautiful sunny days?" Bianca questioned, feeling the heat shower her with warmth.

"Not only that," The elderly woman replied with a chuckle. "The cool, refreshing nights as well."

"Sounds lovely," Ash stated, which Bertha nodded at.

"There is also nearly zero crime here. It's so peaceful, like a dream of sorts," The elite four member illustrated, doing a great job of putting the image into Ash and Bianca's heads.

"Tell me, you two," Bertha stated. "What are your dreams? What do you strive for in life?"

Chuckling softly at the question, Ash answered her immediately. "To become a Pokemon Master."

"You do know how long that could take," The elderly woman said.

"Yes, I do." Ash nodded. "But I'm willing to take the time."

Smiling softly at the boy's confidence and drive to achieve what he wanted to achieve, Bertha gestured to Bianca.

"And you, Bianca? What is your dream to be achieved?" Bertha asked the blonde, getting nothing but silence.

As Bertha could not look at Bianca directly because she was driving, Ash did it for her.

"Bianca? Are you alright?" Ash asked, patting the blonde's shoulder.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine!" The blonde tried to reassure him in a slightly nervous tone.

Unfortunately, Ash did not buy it.

"It's okay if there's something wrong," The Pallet Town native told her, grinning.

Sighing slightly, Bianca nodded. "W-Well, I haven't been able to find a dream. Although I'm a trainer, I still don't know what I want to achieve in life," The blonde haired trainer admitted, looking down slightly, gaining a thoughtful look from Ash.

"That's fine," Ash told her, gaining a quick look of shock from the blonde.

"B-But I've been a trainer for-"

"It doesn't matter," The teen interrupted. "It takes a long time to figure out a dream for some people, so take your time to find what best suits for you. Don't feel ashamed because you don't have a dream. I admire you already for being able to come from Unova to Sinnoh to compete in the Sinnoh League, even if you don't have a dream. So please, don't feel pressured. Just relax and everything will be alright," Ash reassured her with a bright smile.

"T-Thank you Ash," Bianca said bashfully, feeling herself heat up from his words, as this was the first time anyone had ever told her anything like this.

"It's no problem," Ash replied with a grin, patting her shoulder.

"He's right," Bertha stated, not wanting to interrupt their moment until they had finished. "A dream takes time. My dream was to become the best ground type trainer in the world, and I almost succeeded. Cynthia has me beat with her Garchomp, but I accept that I got as close as I could possibly be."

Nodding at the advice, Bianca visibly brightened. 'Ash and Bertha are right. I'll find a dream.' She looked out the window, staring at the beautiful cloudless sky. 'Someday.'

* * *

Arriving at the Pokemon Center, Bertha parked in one of the spots at the parking lot. Exiting the car, the trio of trainers, and Gliscor, walked to the entrance.

Returning Gliscor, Ash and Bianca looked at the elite four member.

"Thanks a lot, Bertha," The two teens said in unison, which Bertha shooed away.

"It was nothing. Good luck in the conference, you two. I'll be waiting for a match," The elite four member said, as she went a different way from them.

Entering, Bianca followed Ash, as she had no idea where to go as of now.

"So, you can go book a room over there." He pointed at the front desk, which Bianca walked to.

As Ash was about to walk away, he heard Bianca call his name. "Wait!"

He turned around, eyebrow raised as she handed him a small piece of paper.

"It's my X-Transceiver number. See you at the conference!" Bianca chirped with a soft smile.

Writing down a number on a piece of paper himself, Ash handed it to Bianca.

"This is my room number. Drop in whenever you like." The blonde nodded, taking the slip of paper. She walked back into the line, keen on booking a room.

Smiling softly at her bright attitude, Ash pocketed the number. 'Seems I just got a rival! A female one!' The Pallet Town native said to himself, grinning.

* * *

Walking up the stairs, Ash went to his room, wondering what was waiting for him there. Opening the door, he noticed it was empty, with the sound of water running in the bathroom.

'I guess Sapphire is showering?' The teen pondered, sitting on his bed. He heard something pop out of the bed, which tackled him down.

"Ah!" Ash yelped in surprise. He felt licking, causing him to instantly figure out who it was.

"Pikachu!" The Pallet Town native exclaimed, hugging the furry rodent.

"Pika Pi!" The mouse squeaked, hugging his trainer back.

"How are you buddy?" Ash asked, rubbing the electric type's fur softly.

Pikachu nodded happily, showing that he was doing good. Then, he made a sad emotion, showing that he was missing Ash.

"Aw, I missed you too buddy." It did feel rather odd for Ash to sleep without Pikachu last night.

"So, I know Sapphire is showering, so where's Dawn?" Ash asked next. Pikachu made a gesture as if he was sleeping, which Ash got immediately.

"She's still sleeping. Gotcha." He sat down with his mouse, before remembering something.

"I have someone for you to see Pikachu," The raven haired teen told the rodent, who tilted his head in intrigue.

"Come on out!" Ash exclaimed, releasing the only pokemon he had on him.

"Gliscor!" Gliscor cried, being immediately greeted by Pikachu.

As Gliscor and Pikachu reminisced, Ash waited patiently for Sapphire to come out of the shower.

She came out after a while, visibly flinching when she saw him. He waved at her, before his eyes widened as she dived at him!

"Hey Sapp-"

**THUD**

She got him on his chest, effectively tackling him down.

"Uh.." Ash groaned, as he had hit one of the bed springs. Looking up, he noticed Sapphire stare at him blankly.

"Is something wrong?" The teen asked, noticing her rather stoic expression.

Shaking her head, she continued to stare at him. Ash was starting to get nervous, as he was rather stuck since Sapphire had him pinned down. Until, she did something Ash would have never expected.

She slapped his cheek with her right hand, hard.

"Ah! What's the big ide- mmf!" He could not finish his complaint, as Sapphire had kissed him.

Feeling that familiar warmth, it intoxicated Ash. It was the same experience he had with Dawn those few days ago.

It was just too warm, it burned his mouth. Like as if he had just eaten a Cheri berry, his mouth was on fire!

Before Ash could do anything else however, he felt the blonde pull away.

She looked extremely nervous, red faced and all. Grabbing her whiteboard, she wrote a couple sentences on it.

"If it wasn't for Dawn stopping me, I would have rampaged this island searching for you. I was worried about you, Ash. Thankfully, Mewtwo let me know that you were on your way this morning, which gave me time to get washed up. The kiss, was rather mine and Dawn's idea. She told me that I needed to be more assertive, thus the reason I just kissed you."

Eyes widening at the information, Ash rose up off the bed.

"Just...wow," Was all he could say, as his mind was jumbled up completely. He noticed Gliscor and Pikachu were wide eyed as well, as Gliscor had never seen Ash get kissed and Pikachu had never thought that Sapphire could be so assertive like that.

"W-Well, let's go meet up with Dawn, shall we?" Ash suggested, still incredibly flustered. The blonde could only nod nervously, as she followed Ash, with Gliscor and Pikachu following as well.

* * *

They passed by a rather dashing looking Brock, who seemed ready to call Lucy. He didn't even notice them pass, as he was too inclined in serenading her.

Shrugging at the 'heartthrob', the quartet walked to Dawn and Delia's room. Knocking softly on the door, Sapphire and Ash waited patiently for someone to come open the door.

Soft footsteps could be heard getting closer to the door, before stopping.

"Who's there?" A sweet voice asked from the other side of the door.

"It's us mom!" Ash exclaimed, seeing his mother's auburn eyes look through the peep hole.

"Ash?" The brown haired woman questioned, opening the door to let them in. As they entered, Delia was able to get a good look at her son.

"Ash!" Delia exclaimed, hugging the boy tightly.

"Hey mom!" The raven haired trainer replied to his dear mother, hugging her back, as the hug was not tight enough to cut off his air flow.

"Hello to you too Sapphire!" Delia chirped, having met her during the time Ash was gone with everyone else. Sapphire waved at her with a grin, as she didn't really feel like writing a greeting.

"So, Dawn let me know that you needed time to think about this whole situation, which is why you ran off correct?" Ash nodded to that, still feeling slightly embarrassed that he had gotten himself and Bianca lost.

"Is Dawn here?" Ash questioned, looking around the room.

"Mhm! She's just in the shower!" Delia replied, walking to another room.

Nodding at the answer, Ash and Sapphire went to sit on one of the chairs, patiently waiting for Dawn to come back.

After a short while, Dawn came out fully dressed, not expecting to see Ash and Sapphire waiting for her.

"Ash! Sapphire!" The Twinleaf Town native exclaimed, running over to them. Giving each of them a hug, she smiled brightly.

"Are you alright, Ash?" Dawn asked, gaining an expression of worry.

"I'm alright, Dawn. No need to worry, right?" Ash joked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey! That's my line!" The blue haired teen protested, pouting slightly.

Smirking slightly, Ash merely chuckled at the girl. "Well too bad."

Smiling at the other teen, Dawn sat down on one of the chairs as well. "Anyways, since you're here now, is it time to train?" The blue haired teen asked, tying on her scarf.

"That depends if Mewtwo is ready for us," The Pallet Town native answered, as Dawn noticed Gliscor.

"Is that your Gliscor Ash?" Dawn questioned, getting a nod in return.

"Yeah, I found him while I was lost." Gliscor waved at the blue haired teen, who waved back.

Grabbing her whiteboard, Sapphire wrote something.

"Mewtwo just notified me that he's ready. Let's go!"

"But wait! What about breakfast for you and Sapphire, Dawn?" Ash asked, not wanting the two females to go on an empty stomach.

"No worries! We can drop by the cafeteria," Dawn answered him, walking to the door.

Nodding, the raven haired teen yelled to his mom. "Mom! We're going out to train!"

"Okay sweetie! Have fun!" Delia yelled back cheerfully.

Walking out the door, the quartet, now a quintet, made their way to the cafeteria.

* * *

After Dawn, Sapphire and Pikachu ate a quick meal, plus a rather annoying tease by Gary, the group of trainers and pokemon headed for the forests.

Making their ways quickly to the shaded areas where Mewtwo could come grab them, the two females and one male exchanged conversation.

"So, since I missed training yesterday, did you guys train?" Ash asked, kicking around some stones he saw on the ground.

"Mhm!" Dawn nodded in affirmative. "It was exactly the same, and we had your pokemon train like the first day, just without your supervision."

Arriving at the spot where Mewtwo was due to appear, the group waited patiently.

After a small wait, the psychic type came into view, immediately surrounding the five with psychic energy and teleporting them to Mt. Quena.

* * *

Landing smoothly, Ash looked around, smiling softly at seeing all of his pokemon there waiting for him, with the exception of Pikachu, Gliscor, and Latias.

Sapphire changed into her eon dragon form, joining the pokemon.

Pikachu went with Gliscor to introduce the bat to everyone else and to explain the training to it.

"So, now that we have Gliscor here, how are the match-ups going to be?" Dawn asked the psychic type pokemon, who thought about it for a second.

"**Gliscor will be in the group with Mamoswine, Sceptile, and Torterra. For Type Advantage/Disadvantage, Gliscor will be with Sceptile and Mamoswine. Alright?"**

Dawn and Ash nodded to that, eager to get training started.

"Alright Mewtwo, let's get this started!" Ash exclaimed in glee.

Nodding with a slight smirk, Mewtwo turned to the group of pokemon.

"**Alright! Today I am changing up the order as Ash has returned. Since we cannot do all the events in one day, we will do one. Today, as we did Type Advantages/Type Disadvantages two days ago, today we will do Move Learning. Do I make myself clear?!" **Getting fierce roars, yips, and cries of agreement, Mewtwo turned to Ash and Dawn.

"**Look up moves you want your pokemon to learn. Show them to me, and if I think they would work well, we'll let them starting training. Alright?" **Nodding to the request, the two teens took out their Pokedex.

"Alright, I'll do Pikachu first," The raven haired teen declared, scrolling through the research pages.

"I'll do Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed, also looking through the multiple resource pages on her Pokedex.

After a short searching session, the two trainers looked at one another, then at Mewtwo.

"Volt Switch."

"Ice Beam."

"**Very good choices. Volt Switch, as Pikachu is a speedy pokemon, he can give quick, powerful damage before switching out. Ice Beam, as Piplup needs a counter to grass types and it is also a very powerful damaging move, having a chance of freezing the opposing pokemon," **Mewtwo commented on the choices.

"**Alright, to learn these moves, is simple," **Mewtwo stated, walking up to the two starter pokemon. **"For Volt Switch, simply practice giving an incredibly fast version of Volt Tackle, then immediately use Agility-if you need it-to sprint back to Ash's side. It might seem tricky as you don't want to go into your ball, but you'll get used to the small bursts of speed you will need to use to execute the move."** Pikachu nodded, running a distance away to practice.

Mewtwo looked at Piplup. **"For Ice Beam, let the aquatic energy build up into your throat, and chill the water by adding more pressure to the water. It may take a few tries to finally get the water to become chilled, but it will be worth it in the end."** Piplup nodded, waddling away as well to practice.

"**Alright, next!" **The psychic type exclaimed.

* * *

After the long but very informative research by Ash and Dawn, every pokemon had a move they were trying to learn.

The moves for each pokemon are as follows, with the instructions on how to practice the move below the name.

Pikachu – Volt Switch

Use a faster version of Volt Tackle, and practice sprinting back to your trainer as fast as possible afterwards.

Piplup – Ice Beam

Gather energy in the back of your throat, and continue to practice chilling the water by adding more pressure to it.

Sceptile – Dragon Pulse

Charge an orb into your mouth, by channeling the energy you have locked inside, and push on the energy fiercely for it to gain dragon type soon enough.

Mamoswine – Earthquake

Use your powerful hoofs and stomp on the ground with two to four hoofs simultaneously, and channel the attack to where the opponent is.

Mewtwo – Aura Sphere

Charge energy into your palms using the aura inside yourself, then push powerfully in one single burst to send the sphere to the opponent.

Heracross – Bulk Up

Flex as much of your body as you can, which you need to practice until your body glows red when doing so.

Buneary – Brick Break

Charge energy into your dominant paw, and chop with all your force. Keep practicing until your paw becomes encased in a bright sheen.

Tyranitar – Dragon Dance

Learn and practice the motions that dragons used to earn power, which may take a while to practice. When learned, your body will be glowing a blue-green draconian color when the dance is performed perfectly.

Primeape – Final Gambit

Push all your lasting energy into one punch, then deliver it with all the strength you have. When learned correctly, your paw will be glowing black and you will faint afterwards.

Cyndaquil – Eruption

Push out your fire energy through the holes in your back with as much force as possible, not through your mouth. Practice aiming the shot, as it could fall back on yourself.

Buizel – Aqua Ring

Charge soft, aquatic energy into your tail, then do a flip in the air, throwing the energy into the air. Let the energy fall onto yourself, which should heal you when learned correctly.

Infernape – Close Combat

Charge energy into your limbs, and stretch yourself before doing this. When charged, throw rigorous attacks as fast as possible, putting in as much force and power as needed. When learned, you should be surrounded in a light glow when charged.

Torterra – Frenzy Plant

Stretch out the grass from your tree, sending them out like tentacles of sorts. Push out with all your force, effectively releasing the vines from the tree. Practice aiming it to where you want it to stretch, then grab hold. When learned, you should be glowing a dark green.

Togekiss – Calm Mind

Calm yourself down, and meditate mentally. Release all the hyperactive energy and let the calmness flow through your mind. When learned, your body will be surrounded in a pinkish glow.

Butterfree – Bug Buzz

Make a loud, buzzing noise while pushing energy from the back of your throat. Make sure that the buzzing noise is done quickly, and also simultaneously to the energy you release from your throat. If done correctly, the energy will react with the buzzing noise and will collide together to make a light green orb.

Charizard – Solar Beam

Let the sunlight fill you with solar energy, then quickly charge all the energy you were given. Push out from the back of your throat quickly and forcefully. When learned, the attack should be a mellow green color.

Latias – Psychic

Just like Calm Mind, use your mind to calm yourself down. Instead of attacking physically, attack mentally. Charge up energy in your mind, then release it into the object you want to attack. When performed correctly, your eyes will glow a mighty blue color, and your object will be surrounded with the same color.

Gible – Dragon Rush

Charge draconian energy from your stomach, then let it spread to your whole body. After letting and feeling the energy spread, sprint rapidly with your head lowered slightly. If done correctly, your body will be surrounded by a legendary dragon when sprinting.

Staraptor – Close Combat

Same instructions as Infernape only with wings and talons instead of limbs.

Pachirisu – Thunderbolt

Instead of sending electrical ways in a bunch, send it out in one single bolt. Charge up electrical energy like Discharge as usual, but push all the energy together instead of letting it spread out. Practice aiming at one point, instead of multiple ones.

Pidgeot – Sky Attack

Like Aerial Ace and Wing Attack, charge energy into your wings and let the energy spread around. However, instead you must fly upwards, gaining air and momentum from the sky, then speed down as fast as possible and forcefully downwards, towards the object. If performed perfectly, your body will glow brightly when performing the downwards fly.

Gliscor - Earthquake

Same instructions as Mamoswine only with claws/stinger instead of hoofs.

* * *

Each pokemon had begun practicing their moves, with each pokemon putting in all their efforts to ace the moves.

Currently, Ash was watching over Butterfree while Dawn was watching Togekiss.

"Remember buddy, make a loud, buzzing noise while pushing energy from the back of your throat," Ash told the bug type, who nodded and tried once more.

"Free...Free...Free!" Butterfree cried, making a tiny version of the attack appear. "That's a good start!" Ash motivated.

"Alright Togekiss, try Air Slash once more!" Dawn ordered, pointing to a rock Togekiss was currently using as a target.

"Toge!" It chirped, charging the energy it needed before sending it to the rock. It did an alright amount of damage, although the attack was rather small and feeble.

"Nice job! Way better than your first try!" The blue haired teen exclaimed, rubbing Togekiss' head.

"Togekiss!" It cried in glee, liking the touch.

"Let's try one more time Butterfree! I know you can do it!" Ash exclaimed, raising his fist in the air.

Butterfree felt confidence fill him, making him gain a look of intense concentration. He charged up the attack, then buzzed extremely loudly, before letting out the attack.

The attack came out at almost full size, colliding with the rock they were using. Surprisingly, it actually made a slight dent in the rock.

"Wow! Great job Butterfree!" The raven haired teen praised, hugging the bug type.

"Free! Free!" The bug type hugged back, squealing in glee at making an almost perfect attack on his first day.

Smiling at the moment, Dawn looked around. She noticed how every single pokemon, including Mewtwo, were working to their end trying to master their new moves. This made her smile harder. She never would have thought in a million years that she'd be training alongside legendaries, on a mountain she had never even heard of. Even so, she was thankful Ash had shared this little secret with her. If not, who knows what she would have done while Ash was training?

Breaking out of her thoughts, she patted Togekiss' head and walked on to check on another one of her pokemon.

Ash noticed her walk away, reminding him that he needed to check on his other pokemon as well. Deciding to check on Primeape, he went in search for the fighting type.

* * *

'Alright. So I need to put in all the energy I have into this punch,' Primeape said to himself, charging as much energy as he could.

'Haaaaaa...' He felt the energy burst into his right paw, like an inferno.

Putting his head down, he flexed his paw more, trying to add more power. 'I'm the P1 Champion. This is easy for me. I've taken down the biggest, baddest, and gruesomest fighting types ever known with my fighting technique. I can do this!'

'HAAA!' The pig monkey screamed, throwing all the power he had into his fist, straight into the giant boulder he had picked for himself. The boulder cracked into pieces, falling into a heap. Looking at his paw, his eyes widened at seeing the black glow.

'W-Wait, doesn't that mean I'll-' Primeape couldn't finish his thought, as he had fainted from using the move.

Collapsing to the floor, Primeape was out cold.

Arriving at the scene nonchalantly, Ash only now noticed the knocked out Primeape.

"Primeape!" The teen exclaimed, lifting up the pig monkey from the hard ground.

"He must have hit the attack," Ash said, which was rather obvious considering he was knocked out. He chuckled at how Primeape must have motivated himself to get it so quickly.

Returning the pig monkey, the Pallet Town native looked at the crumbled boulder. 'Jeez, he broke that boulder like bread.' He turned around when he heard footsteps rapidly getting closer to him. It was Dawn.

"What happened here?" Dawn questioned, looking at the destroyed boulder.

"Primeape," Was all Ash said, getting a 'Mhm' from Dawn.

"I'm assuming he hit the attack?" The blue haired teen asked, getting a nod from the raven haired teen.

"Yeah, must have been something he learned from Anthony. The drive to never give up," Ash remarked, which Dawn shook her head to.

"Nah, I think he got it from you." Ash looked at her in shock.

"M-Me?" The raven haired teen asked, as if this was something unexpected to him.

"Yeah," Dawn told him, nudging his shoulder. "Your drive to never give up and your never-ending selflessness is what makes you special, Ash. Just remember that."

Smiling softly at the girl, he hugged her. Feeling that warm feeling once more, Dawn hugged him back.

"Thank you, Dawn," Ash said with a small smile, not wanting to let go just yet.

"It's my pleasure," Dawn responded with a slight giggle, not wanting him to let go either.

They stayed like that for a little bit, as it had been some time since they had hugged.

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I think this revision was much better than the original.**

**I hope I gave equal Pearlshipping/Altoshipping.**

**So, training will continue like this for a couple more chapters so I can show each individual training event once, then I'll skip time.**

**Remember, if you like this story, favorite, follow, review!**

**Thanks for reading, bye!**


	12. Growing Stronger, Together

**Hi, Jay1414 here.**

**Jeez, I'm behind schedule.**

**I don't really have an excuse for not updating in many, many days, just that I had writer's block. It's never happened to me before, so it made things real difficult. I had a chapter ready a week ago, but I scrapped it as I didn't like it. Then, I had most of this chapter written, but a corruption happened and almost all of it got deleted.**

**In the time I had to think, I made a decision for this story. It's not a plot change or anything, nor am I making any sort of replacement/substitution, I have just decided to skip time now because I feel like these chapters are starting to become repetitive. I know, I know that I said I would show each event once, which I will still do, just in flashbacks.**

**Responding to stars90, I totally forgot that Staraptor already knew Close Combat. To fix that, I'll just make it so that Staraptor did not learn it before the events of this story, and will be learning it now.**

**Also, since I missed a lot of days, I'll try my best to make this chapter as bulky and descriptive as possible, with flashbacks and explanations.**

**Well, here we go. Chapter 12 is a go!**

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts/Other speech'

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts/Mewtwo's poke speech'**

_"Sapphire's whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything used in this publication.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_Arriving at the scene nonchalantly, Ash only now noticed the knocked out Primeape._

_"Primeape!" The teen exclaimed, lifting up the pig monkey from the hard ground._

_"He must have hit the attack," Ash said, which was rather obvious considering he was knocked out. He chuckled at how Primeape must have motivated himself to get it so quickly._

_Returning the pig monkey, the Pallet Town native looked at the crumbled boulder. 'Jeez, he broke that boulder like bread.' He turned around when he heard footsteps rapidly getting closer to him. It was Dawn._

_"What happened here?" Dawn questioned, looking at the destroyed boulder._

_"Primeape," Was all Ash said, getting a 'Mhm' from Dawn._

_"I'm assuming he hit the attack?" The blue haired teen asked, getting a nod from the raven haired teen._

_"Yeah, must have been something he learned from Anthony. The drive to never give up," Ash remarked, which Dawn shook her head to._

_"Nah, I think he got it from you." Ash looked at her in shock._

_"M-Me?" The raven haired teen asked, as if this was something unexpected to him._

_"Yeah," Dawn told him, nudging his shoulder. "Your drive to never give up and your never-ending selflessness is what makes you special, Ash. Just remember that."_

_Smiling softly at the girl, he hugged her. Feeling that warm feeling once more, Dawn hugged him back._

_"Thank you, Dawn," Ash said with a small smile, not wanting to let go just yet._

_"It's my pleasure," Dawn responded with a slight giggle, not wanting him to let go either._

_They stayed like that for a little bit, as it had been some time since they had hugged._

* * *

**Chapter 12: Growing Stronger, Together!**

Life couldn't be more blessed for the heroic, selfless, and bright as day Ash Ketchum. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought that he'd have two legendaries under his belt, a love triangle, and such a strong and loyal team by his side. Although, that is not to say his team wasn't strong before. They were just stronger. The drive to become stronger and to achieve greatness influenced Ash and his companion Dawn, to train, and train fiercely. After Ash returned from his rather unexpected sprint off, he got to work. Just like how he expected, his team of pokemon from his older journeys plus Mewtwo, Latias, and Tyranitar aced the moves they were attempting to learn in no less than 3 days. To rival, Dawn's pokemon and Ash's Sinnoh pokemon learned their moves in 5 days, which was understandable as the pokemon were not used to all the rough training they were beginning to take from Mewtwo.

**FLASHBACK:**

_"Alright Gible! Dragon Rush!" Ash ordered, pointing his palm to the boulder in front of them. Everyone was sat in front of them, as if they were watching a performance. Mewtwo recommended that every pokemon show the move they were learning in front of all of them, as the support from each pokemon would encourage them to try harder. Each pokemon went once, with their respective trainer commanding them._

_Gible was first, much to his dismay. The order of pokemon to perform were as follows:_

_**1ST: **Gible – Sinnoh (Dragon Rush)_

_**2ND: **Pikachu – Kanto (Volt Switch)_

_**3RD:** Piplup – Sinnoh (Ice Beam)_

_**4TH: **Sceptile – Hoenn (Dragon Pulse)_

_**5TH: **Mamoswine – Sinnoh (Earthquake)_

_**6TH: **Mewtwo – Kanto (Aura Sphere)_

_**7TH: **Heracross – Johto (Bulk Up)_

_**8TH: **Buneary – Sinnoh (Brick Break)_

_**9TH: **Tyranitar – Johto (Dragon Dance)_

_**10TH: **Primeape – Kanto (Final Gambit)_

_**11TH: **Cyndaquil – Johto (Eruption)_

_**12TH: **Buizel – Sinnoh (Aqua Ring)_

_**13TH: **Infernape – Sinnoh (Close Combat)_

_**14TH: **Torterra – Sinnoh (Frenzy Plant)_

_**15TH: **Togekiss – Sinnoh (Air Slash)_

_**16TH: **Butterfree – Kanto (Bug Buzz)_

_**17TH: **Charizard – Kanto (Solarbeam)_

_**18TH: **Latias – Johto (Psychic)_

_**19TH: **Staraptor – Sinnoh (Close Combat)_

_**20TH: **Pachirisu – Sinnoh (Thunderbolt)_

_**21ST: **Pidgeot – Kanto (Sky Attack)_

_**22ND: **Gliscor – Sinnoh (Earthquake)_

_Gible nodded, charging draconian energy that formed in his stomach. Feeling the energy spread, he backed up a couple feet from the boulder, glaring hard at it, intent on blowing it into smithereens. Beginning with a few short hops, he began his charge. As his legs were short, the dragon practiced his speed repeatedly before this, as this was a move that was easier to perform as a Gabite, rather than as a Gible._

_'Here we go... I can do this,' Gible said to himself, feeling the dragon aura spread out into a form. Smiling in awe at the dragon, Ash couldn't believe such a powerful beast was spreading out from his little dragon._

_"Gible..." Gaining speed, the dragon surrounding Gible roared in glee, feeling the intense power the little dragon/ground type had in his arsenal._

_Throwing his tiny arms backwards in a V-form and ducking his head, Gible was ready._

_Feeling a giant energy boost inside himself grow, the little dragon roared, surprisingly. Pushing himself to his limit, he threw himself into the boulder._

_Louder than a gunshot, the explosion covered Gible and Ash in smoke._

_In the crowd of other pokemon, Charizard turned to Latias._

_'Such power for such a tiny dragon,' Charizard stated, not expecting such a giant dragon to form out from Gible's back._

_'Mhm. Little Gible has been practicing furiously, not wanting to let Ash down,' Latias replied to him._

_Charizard snorted. 'He knows Ash will never be felt let down.'_

_Latias nodded. 'Yeah, but he wanted to show that although he is small, he has the power to make up for it.'_

_The two were interrupted by Buizel exclaiming, 'Woah, look at the after effect!'_

_Sure enough, Gible had hit and totally obliterated the boulder, which was the goal, but that wasn't why Buizel was awed._

_"Gible, are you alright?" Ash asked, noticing Gible stay still, the draconian aura not leaving his body._

_Dawn, who was standing with Piplup in her arms, turned to Mewtwo, who was watching intently._

_"Mewtwo, wasn't the aura supposed to fade after the attack was done?" Mewtwo did not answer Dawn, as he seemed to be in shock._

_"Mew-"_

_"**It's time," **Mewtwo merely said, already knowing why Gible was still._

_"Time for wha-" "RAWR!"_

_Jumping at the loud roar, Ash looked at Tyranitar, who merely shook his head, and then to Charizard, who did the same thing._

_"Then who was it?" The Pallet Town native questioned, before feeling Dawn tap him on his shoulder. Raising an eyebrow at her, she merely pointed a shaky finger at Gible. Following her finger, the raven haired teen froze in mid gaze._

_Eyes widening the size of dinner plates, Ash was speechless. "No way!"_

_There in front of them, was no longer Gible, but a powerful, and very loud Gabite. _

_"RAWR!" Gabite roared, stomping hard onto the ground, creating a giant quake. Feeling the need to do it, the newly evolved dragon charged up Dragon Rush, sprinting faster than the little dragon would have ever imagined as he finally had longer limbs, crashing into an even larger boulder, which broke like sand. __Rising out of the boulder, Gabite ran to another one, charging energy into each of his newly earned arms. Slicing the boulder once with each arm, it was sliced and diced before falling into a heap._

_Ash felt his Pokedex beep, opening it to see a message._

_**Gabite has learned Dual Chop and Earthquake**_

_"Woah! So that was Dual Chop?" The teen questioned in excitement, grabbing Gabite's attention. Walking over to his trainer with his newly grown legs, he nodded._

_"Awesome buddy! You learned Dragon Rush, evolved, and learned Dual Chop and Earthquake!" Taking in the praise, Gabite walked into the crowd of pokemon, immediately being swamped with questions._

_Smiling softly, Ash exclaimed, "NEXT!". The next pokemon was none other than the one and only, Ash's starter, Pikachu._

_"Pika Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, picking out a boulder. Nodding to the mouse, the raven haired teen stood behind the electric type._

_"Okay, here we go Pikachu! Volt Switch!" Immediately leaving his spot in a flash, Pikachu made his way to the boulder in quick, short bursts as instructed._

_"Pika...CHU!" After releasing a condensed bolt of electricity, Pikachu quickly sped back to Ash, jumping onto his shoulder._

_Rubbing his head, Ash smiled. "Good job buddy! I knew you could do it!"_

_"Cha!" Pikachu responded in kind, before going back to the crowd of clapping pokemon._

_Walking inside the crowd as well, Ash sat next to Latias to watch Dawn._

_Dawn got up, letting Piplup leap out of her arms onto the center place. Making her way there herself, she stood behind the penguin pokemon, ready to make her move._

_"Piplup! Use Ice Beam!" She pointed a finger at the boulder Piplup had chosen before clenching her fist._

_"Lup!" Charging the attack in his throat, Piplup could feel the chilled ice water freeze, signaling the attack was ready to release._

_"Pip...LUP!" Letting the condensed ice go, the Ice Beam quickly struck the boulder, freezing it solid._

_Seeing a chance for a contest move, Dawn capitalized on it._

_"Now! Try using Peck to break the ice into shards!" The blue haired teen commanded._

_Piplup was slightly caught off guard at the sudden move, but complied nonetheless. His beak became encased in a white sheen, before growing a couple inches in length. Diving beak first into the ice, the frozen boulder shattered, falling into pieces on the mountain ground._

_Getting up, Piplup walked back to Dawn, taking in the claps from his fellow mons._

_"I had no doubt you'd get the move perfect, Piplup! Great job!" Dawn complimented, letting the penguin pokemon go into the crowd, which she did as well._

_Taking Ash's spot next to Latias, Dawn and the eon dragon watched carefully, as one of Ash's more experienced pokemon was next. The pokemon who was going, had already risen up and made his way to the center place to join his trainer._

_"You ready, Sceptile?" Ash questioned, gaining a confident smirk as stood facing one another._

_ Sceptile grew the same smirk, knowing he had learned this move perfectly. After he had learned X-Scissor, everything had become easier for him. Not only did he get a giant speed boost, his attacking moves had improved greatly as well. As a humorous thought to himself, he wondered if he could learn Extremespeed._

_Chuckling at that, he looked over at Ash, who was ready to give his command. __Getting into his battle stance, Sceptile nodded to his trainer._

_"You know what to do! Sceptile, show everyone a powerful Dragon Pulse!" Needing nothing more, the reptilian pokemon quickly disappeared from the mountain, reappearing a few meters from the boulder._

_Adding pressure to the energy in his throat, he pushed the grass type energy away, finding the draconian energy that seemed hidden under all the grass aura. Feeling the energy flow, Sceptile knew the attack was ready._

_Opening his mouth and letting the orb grow to a decent size, he let it rip with a confident grin. __"Scep...TILE!" Releasing the orb of dragon aura, the attack burst straight through the boulder, mashing it down into pebbles._

_The attack caused an explosion, which showed the attack had also sunk some of the ground, creating a crater of sorts._

_Taking a deep breath, Sceptile turned back to Ash, a nonchalant expression on his face._

_Ash looked at his grass type, amused, as Sceptile acted as if he didn't just create a crater. __"Good job buddy! Although, I think it was kind of overkill." He pointed at the crater._

_"Scep.." Sceptile replied somewhat sheepishly, going over to the crater with some dirt he found. Covering most of it up, he gave a thumbs up._

_The crowd laughed, as this was really not what they expected._

_'Heh, Sceptile may act like a damn silent ninja all the time, but he's got some humor in him somewhere,' Torterra remarked, amused, as Gliscor beside him chuckled._

_'Yeah, he acted like that boulder didn't just go through reverse evolution,' The bat replied, bouncing around on it's tail._

_'Also, I'm shocked he was able to use a dragon move so well!' The continent pokemon exclaimed, knowing his kind couldn't do so._

_Gliscor shrugged. 'Who knows, maybe he was born to use dragon type moves.'_

_Back at the center place, Ash patted Sceptile's head. "I just know you'll do good in the Sinnoh League."_

_Sceptile took it all in, not arrogantly nor humbled. He heard claps, prompting him to turn around. Seeing everyone clap for him, he couldn't help but smile. The grass type really loved battling in front of others. It really made him feel great. He missed fighting with Ash, so he was glad that he got chosen to come to Sinnoh and train. Although he acted very silent and nonchalant, he really enjoyed putting on a good show. To him, there was nothing better than winning at a grand stage. After Ash lost in the Hoenn League, the reptilian pokemon swore to do better._

_Breaking himself out of his thoughts, he walked back into the crowd, taking a seat with his newly made friends, Torterra and Gliscor._

_Ash went back to the crowd as well, as it was once again Dawn's turn. The teen had already made her way to the center place, with Mamoswine following her. Ash sat down next to Latias, rubbing her head._

_Smiling softly, Ash thought about his sudden love life. The love triangle had mellowed down slightly. Dawn was still technically his girlfriend(her words not his), but Ash was still conflicted. Dawn and Latias didn't seem to mind, they just liked being around him. Although, they would kiss him from time to time, and he would reciprocate, but he really didn't know what to call the situation they had as of now. Brock, Gary, and many times his mother would ask him about it, but he'd just call it a love triangle. Either way, Ash couldn't be happier. Dawn and Latias were happy, so he was happy. He was especially glad that they were happy because he really didn't want to choose one of them and end up breaking the other's heart. Thankfully, it didn't seem he had to as of now._

_Breaking out of his thoughts, he looked at the center place, where Dawn was getting ready to make her command._

_"Go Dawn! I believe in you!" Ash called out to her with a wink, making Dawn turn around and stick her tongue at him._

_Turning back around, she let herself blush slightly. Noticing that Mamoswine was waiting, she made her move._

_"Mamoswine use Earthquake!" Not needing to point, Dawn quickly moved away, not want to get hit by the attack by accident._

_"Moo!" Complying immediately, Mamoswine lifted up it's two front hoofs, before stomping down. The stomp made the ground crack, all the way to the boulder that the ice type had chosen. The boulder became submerged, creating a hole. Mamoswine stampeded to the hole, covering it with dirt by sweeping it's back hoofs._

_Going back to Dawn, the giant pokemon took the gentle rub on it's head with joy and pride._

_"I'm so proud of you Mamoswine! You went from only wanting food and stampeding everywhere to being able to learn such a powerful move as Earthquake!" Dawn complimented, which Mamoswine took in kind._

_"Moo!" Stomping back to the clapping crowd, the giant pokemon waited for the next pokemon to go._

_'Great job,' Sceptile complimented, as did Gliscor to it's fellow ground type._

_'Yeah, I hope I do as good with my Earthquake,' Gliscor said with a cheeky grin._

_'Most likely,' Mamoswine answered, taking a seat beside them. 'I saw how hard you trained. You'll do fine.'_

_Ash got up once more, before being stopped by Dawn._

_"What is it?" The teen questioned, as he noticed Latias get up as well._

_"Don't be nervous, okay?" The blue haired trainer told him, knowing exactly what pokemon was up next. Latias merely nuzzled him, as Ash would not understand her cooing._

_Ash shared a kiss with Dawn, and hugged Latias tightly, before looking his next pokemon straight in the eye._

_The pokemon looked back, knowing what was to come. **"I'm ready."**_

_The raven haired teen nodded to Mewtwo, making his way to center place once more._

_Every pokemon present watched with all their undivided attention, knowing this was a very important moment. Not only did it show that Ash could handle Mewtwo, it also showed if their bond was strong enough for Ash to be able to command him._

_Mewtwo picked his boulder, waiting for Ash to make his command._

_The aforementioned teen looked downwards, his eyes silhouetted by his hat, as he reflected on what Mewtwo has done for him. 'He helped me find the solution I so desperately needed, and even before that he's always been giving me ideas which I unfortunately ignored. Not only that, he helped me find two pokemon who were missing me, he became my pokemon, he agreed to train Dawn and I's pokemon plus himself, and he even let us train in his private mountain and home. He's done too much for me. For us. I owe it to him to be a strong, confident trainer. And that, is just what I'll do.'_

_Immediately noticing that Ash had gone silent, Mewtwo voiced his confusion. **"Are you alright?"**_

_Lowering his head, Ash worried everyone around._

_"Ash, is something wrong?" Dawn questioned, about to rise up._

_Raising his head, Ash's expression surprised everyone. This expression, was one that none of them have ever seen. It was an expression of pure confidence, and power. It was arrogant almost._

_"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. I'm more than fine, I feel great!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, before turning to the crowd of pokemon._

_"Everyone!" Raising his fist into the air, he smiled. "If you think that we can all became the best in our own right, raise your limb and give me a battle cry!" Immediately, the mountain became as loud as a rock concert, with everyone raising fins, arms, appendages, and tails into the air and shouting their lungs out._

_Ash smiled, feeling some wetness in his eyes. Turning to Mewtwo, he noticed that the psychic type had his arm up as well._

_Chuckling, Mewtwo turned back to the boulder that he had chosen to attack. **"Don't go soft on me now. Come on, let's show them our bond."**_

_Nodding, Ash calmed the crowd down, as it was time to show them that he was capable of commanding a legendary._

_"Alright! Let's go! Mewtwo! Use Aura Sphere!" Clenching a fist and throwing it out, Ash pointed at the boulder, feeling intense pride when commanding Mewtwo._

_"**Alright!" **The legendary complied, sprinting to the boulder. Stopping a few meters from it, just like Sceptile, the psychic type began charging his attack._

_Putting intense pressure in between his palms, a blue orb began to form. Adding even more pressure, the orb grew and grew, up until it became the size of a basketball. The attack was ready. Taking a deep breath, Mewtwo let it out._

_"**RAAH!" **The sphere spun rapidly out of the space between Mewtwo's palms, drilling through the boulder, showing a very noticeable hole. The boulder couldn't take the pressure, falling into a heap. Surprisingly, or in this case unsurprisingly, the sphere continued to swerve forward, making a hole in the mountain wall. To top it all off, an explosion occurred._

_"Jeez, it is true," Ash remarked somewhat sheepishly. "Legendaries truly do have more power than they let on."_

_Everyone else was silent. The silence lingered for a few minutes, until Ash decided to break it. He couldn't however, when he became overwhelmed by the crowd of pokemon cheering. __He noticed Dawn come up to him quickly, hugging him, with Latias right behind her._

_"Ah! What's with the affection! It's not like I won the Sinnoh League!" Ash exclaimed, laughing._

_Dawn giggled softly, raising her head from the hug. "It's because you did it, silly. You were able to command a legendary pokemon, and confidently at that! Not everyone can do that. I mean, Latias is easy because she loves you, but for Mewtwo you two had to create a strong bond, and I think you did it great."_

_Smiling gratefully, Ash hugged her back. "You always know what to say, don't you?"_

_Dawn smiled back, shrugging in the hug. "Maybe I do."_

_Latias quickly made her presence known, glomping the two into a three way hug. Laughing, the three really seemed to be having the times of their lives._

_Mewtwo just stayed put, as he wasn't really eager for anything emotional or touchy-feely. Unfortunately, he noticed that the crowd of pokemon had moved, directly to him!_

_Some of them had their arms outstretched, confirming his fears._

_"**W-Wait! I don't like hugs!" **The psychic type tried to retort, but they wouldn't listen._

_"**Ugh, fine," **Mewtwo relented, knowing it wouldn't be right to force them off him._

_Pokemon like Charizard and Sceptile merely watched, as they, like the currently smothered Mewtwo, didn't like all that affectionate stuff._

* * *

_After a while, the next pokemon was ready._

_"Heracross! Use Bulk Up to boost your attack!" Ash commanded, not pointing at anything as this was merely a stat boosting move._

_"Hera!" Heracross flexed his muscles, becoming surrounded in a red aura._

_"Okay! Let's try it out!" The raven haired teen exclaimed. "Megahorn on that boulder!"_

_Complying, the bug type's giant horn became encased in bug type aura, as he launched himself into the boulder. The boulder had a giant hole in the middle of it, before it fell down, destroyed._

_Rubbing the bug's horn, Ash smiled. "Great job buddy! I'm glad the move boosts your attack greatly!" It really was true. Since Megahorn is a bug type move, it does almost nothing to rock type. Although, with the added bulk up, and Heracross' already extremely high attack stat, the Megahorn attack significantly became stronger, as making a hole in a boulder is no easy feat._

_"Hera!" Heracross agreed, walking back into the cheering crowd. Once again, Ash and Dawn switched places._

_Buneary hopped her way to the center place after winking at Pikachu, who merely laughed nervously._

_Finding her boulder, the fluffy bunny normal type looked at her trainer for instruction._

_"Buneary! Use Brick Break full power!" Hopping quickly to the boulder, Buneary's paw became encased in a white sheen, which she swung quickly, in a karate chop motion. The boulder could not take the super effective attack, cracking into pieces._

_Hopping around in joy, the bunny took all the praise she was given, like she had just won a contest battle._

_"Awesome Buneary! Now we have a counter to rock and steel types!" After all, Buneary had mostly normal type moves, and Steel types in general would have been a problem. Thankfully now, Brick Break would help very much. It would even help against other normal types!_

_Leaping back to the crowd and plopping herself next to Pikachu, Buneary waited for the next pokemon to go up._

_Once again switching places, Ash made his way to the center place, bringing along his son in everything but blood, his first dark type and also first rock type, Tyranitar._

_"You know what to do! Dragon Dance!" Tyranitar needed nothing more, performing the motions quickly and gracefully, something rather unusual for a heavily plated pokemon. Although, unusual as it was, it gave him intense speed and power._

_Seeing the rock type become surrounded in a draconian sheen, Ash knew it was time to test it out. "Use Crunch with your new speed and attack boost!"_

_Nodding with a smirk, Tyranitar sprinted faster than ever before, clamping his jaws onto a nearby boulder. The boulder was crushed like a piece of bread, not able to take all the pressure. After a bit, the dark type let go, letting the boulder fall, crushed into tiny bits and pieces._

_Stomping back, Tyranitar roared softly, liking the rubs Ash was giving him._

_"I already know you'll cause destruction in the Sinnoh League, and I'm ready for it," Ash stated letting the rock type go back to the gobsmacked but clapping crowd._

_Smirking comically at what he was about to do, Ash pretended he had a microphone in his hands. The crowd raised an eyebrow at this, not having a clue what their trainer/trainer's companion had planned. Although, one pokemon had a clear idea what he had planned, who was chuckling to himself momentarily._

_Clearing his throat, Ash spoke, or moreover announced, in a hefty, announcer like voice. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, put your hands together for the undisputed, 4 time winning, heavyweight, P1 CHAMPION, PRIMEEEEEAPEEEEE!" Finishing with a grin, Ash pretended to drop the mic that was in his hand, showing the emphasis in his words._

_Laughing like everyone else was at Ash's convincing announcer voice, Primeape rose up from his spot next to Heracross, Butterfree and Pidgeot, cracking his wrists slightly._

_Taking his place next to Ash, Primeape nodded, ready to perform._

_"Alright Primeape, I went out and bought a Revive since I know Final Gambit makes you faint." The pig monkey nodded, knowing exactly what happened the first time he tried out the move. After that, Ash had to repeatedly take Primeape to the Pokemon Center, somewhat worrying Nurse Joy when he kept bringing in the same fainted pokemon daily. Fortunately, he explained to her that he was practicing Final Gambit, calming her worries._

_"Okay, Primeape! Show them your fighting prowess with Final Gambit!" Growing the look of craziness which was something his species was known for, Primeape charged dark aura into his right paw. Adding more pressure to his palm, he felt the energy begin to spark, signally he was ready._

_"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! HAA!" Doing a quick lunge, the pig monkey drove his fist straight into the boulder, which broke completely, as expected._

_Like the move was known for, Primeape fainted, quickly being caught by Ash. Taking out the Revive, Ash quickly fed it to the fighting type, waking him up instantly._

_Rubbing the pig monkey's fur, Ash grinned. "I expected nothing less from the P1 Champion. I'm really glad you were able to come back and be my pokemon again buddy." Primeape took it all in kind, trying his best not to cry. Even though he was a tough brute, he did have a soft side._

_As Primeape took his seat with Butterfree, Pidgeot and Heracross, Ash took Dawn's spot next to Mewtwo, as now it was once again Dawn's turn._

_The blue haired teen walked onto center place with her little fire type, Cyndaquil. Easily one of the smallest pokemon, Cyndaquil felt somewhat intimidated. That is until, Dawn began to rub his head._

_"Don't be intimidated, Cyndaquil. Do this for all your friends, and show Charizard and Infernape that you've been working hard on your fire type moves!" Feeling determination from his trainer's words, Cyndaquil nodded._

_"Cyndaquil! Show everyone your powerful Eruption attack!" Yelping in agreement, the fire type starter of Johto felt his back warm up to the utmost highest temperature, meaning his attack was hot enough to release. That is, until, he felt a secondary warmth coming from his back. What did this mean?_

_"Cyn...da...QUIL!" Releasing the fiery attack, it easily scorched the boulder Cyndaquil had chosen, while also burning the ground some._

_The secondary warmth grew into primary, surrounding his whole body. Cyndaquil had no idea what this was, but let it out anyway, feeling the warmth become more intense by the second._

_"CYNDAQUIL!" Screaming into the sky, Cyndaquil became encased fully in white._

_Everyone watched in awe as Cyndaquil changed forms, growing longer limbs, and becoming twice his previous size._

_"QUILAVA!" The newly evolved Quilava yelled, letting intense flames burst out from his head and back._

_"Amazing! You evolved Cyndaquil! I'm so proud!" Dawn exclaimed, quickly hugging the fire type. Taking his trainer's praise greatly, Quilava pranced into the cheering crowd, feeling as happy as can be._

_"Another evolution! This day just gets better and better!" Ash said in glee, getting up as it was once again his turn._

_"You bet!" Dawn replied, high fiving the other teen._

_Halfway through the list, Ash made it to the center place for the umpteenth time, bringing along his Sinnoh water type he got in a trade with Dawn, Buizel. He also brought Pikachu, as it was necessary for this move._

_"Okay! Buizel, I know that the move you have been learning is a healing move, so I have Pikachu here to attack." Buizel nodded, knowing the move wouldn't be as effective if not._

_"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt on Buizel!" Complying immediately, Pikachu did just that, charging up the powerful electric type attack._

_"Pika...CHU!" The water type took the attack, albeit painfully, as this was needed for his move to work well._

_"Now," Ash stated as Pikachu went back into the crowd. "Use Aqua Ring to heal yourself!"_

_"Bui!" Letting his water aura flow to his tail, Buizel quickly performed a flip, like he would do for Sonicboom, but instead let the attack fall on him, effectively healing himself. The water lingered on him for a while, soaking his wounds from the strong Thunderbolt attack._

_Walking over to Ash, Buizel merely crossed his arms as Ash made sure he had been cleanly healed._

_"Yep, it worked perfectly. Good job! This will be very handy in battles," Ash remarked, rubbing the water type's head._

_"Bui Bui!" Buizel replied, walking back into the crowd as everyone else has._

_Staying put as he was next two more times in succession, Ash waited for Infernape to make his way to the center place._

_As soon as he took his spot in front of his trainer, Infernape chose his boulder, getting into a fighting stance._

_"I know you have a grudge Infernape," Was all that Ash said, as Infernape looked at Ash in shock._

_"Nape?" The fire monkey questioned, seemingly asking how Ash knew._

_"If you're wondering how I knew, let's just say Mewtwo let me know you really wanted to take out Paul's Electivire the next time we battled." Sighing as that was completely true, Infernape merely nodded. After that match at Lake Acuity, Infernape swore to defeat Electivire, no matter what got in his way. Not just for his own pride and a way to show that he was better without Paul, but for Ash, to stick it to his ex trainer that Ash was right about the ways of training pokemon._

_"Either way, it's totally fine. Just use that grudge to fight your best, okay?" The raven haired trainer asked, getting a very determined nod of the head from Infernape._

_"That's what I like to hear! Now Infernape! Use Close Combat on that boulder! Pretend it's Electivire!" That really worked for Infernape, as he used his fastest speed to close the distance between himself and the boulder. Immediately, the fire pokemon began to pummel the boulder with multiple punches, uppercuts, knees, elbows, and kicks. After a few powerful moments of nothing but strong hits, the boulder broke into pieces, falling onto it's side._

_"That motivation really worked. Didn't it Piplup?" Dawn asked her starter, who nodded with a "Pip!"._

_"Great job! I know that you may have a grudge, but I think that it'll just make you strive to become even stronger, right?" Ash said, putting a hand on Infernape's shoulder. Infernape nodding excitedly, giddy on the prospect of totally obliterating Electivire in battle._

_As Infernape went back to sit with his fellow pokemon, the raven haired teen waited for his next pokemon, Torterra, to stomp his way to the center place._

_"This is a very powerful move, Torterra," Ash stated right off the bat, looking the grass type in the eyes. "Not even Sceptile, one of my oldest grass types, knows this move. But, I know you can do it. Make me more proud than I already am, buddy."_

_"Terra!" Torterra agreed, facing a boulder he had chosen mentally._

_"Okay! Torterra use Frenzy Plant on that boulder!" Needing no more instruction, Torterra quickly charged up the attack, letting the tree on his back grow grass aura, protruding tan, spiky vines from the middle of his back. The vines rapidly made quick work of the boulder, sucking out it's contents and slicing it to bits._

_"Terra!" The continent pokemon exclaimed in glee, stomping back over to Ash._

_"See? I knew it'd be easy for you. Keep it up!" Ash praised, as he had done for each pokemon, while rubbing the continent pokemon's head softly._

_The grass type stomped back to his place with his fellow grass type Sceptile, bat pokemon Gliscor, and fellow ground type Mamoswine._

_'A very hard move to use. Great work,' Sceptile complimented._

_'I agree,' Gliscor stated. 'Thank Arceus I wasn't the one receiving that attack, it seemed really painful.'_

_Mamoswine shivered. 'I hear you, Gliscor.'_

_Torterra chuckled. 'Heh, I have no doubt that attack will be very handy in any upcoming battles, considering it has a lot of range while I'm very slow.'_

_"Your turn again Dawn," Ash told his companion, plopping himself next to Mewtwo._

_Nodding, Dawn made her way to the center place once more, only this time being joined by the sweet, graceful, flying type known as Togekiss._

_"Togekiss, I know I'm technically not your original trainer, but I promised to Princess Salvia that I'd take great care of you, and that you'd do the same for me. I'm so glad that you're here, and so is everyone else, That being said, let's show everyone your powerful Air Slash!" Dawn exclaimed, throwing her arm forwards._

_"Togekiss!" Flying forward to the boulder closest to it, Togekiss charged energy into it's left wing, before letting the attack go with a simple swipe. As graceful as the pokemon that used it, the attack collided with the boulder, slicing it in half. This was very impressive as flying type moves really weren't effective against rock types,_

_The flying type flew back to Dawn, taking in all the praise it was getting. Although it would be a lie if Togekiss said that it didn't miss it's trainer, that didn't mean that the flying type didn't like Dawn. Dawn was so very nice to Togekiss, and was a very good person overall. That being said, all of those qualities inspired Togekiss to become the greatest of it's species, and to help Dawn become a Top Coordinator like she always wanted._

_Settling itself next to it's fellow flying types, Togekiss looked into the sky, wondering just when she'd be able to have, a battle in the sky. It was a rather random thought, but was something that Togekiss always wondered about. Was it ever going to be able to happen? Were they already present in another region? The flying type had no clue._

_Back to the center place, Ash had already replaced Dawn, with the first pokemon he had ever caught, and also the first pokemon he ever had to release, the bug type Butterfree. Although bug types were known as weak and feeble, Butterfree made it his goal to be able to beat bigger foes, to show that he indeed had the credentials to be strong and powerful, and not weak and feeble._

_"Alright buddy, you know what to do. Show all of us your powerful Bug Buzz attack!" Springing into action, Butterfree flew to the boulder closest to him, ready to make his move._

_Charging up as much bug type energy as possible, Butterfree gave out a very loud buzz, while simultaneously letting the attack rip. The orb of bug aura tore through the boulder, breaking it in half._

_"Free Free!" Flying around joyfully, Butterfree quickly hugged his trainer, who responded in kind._

_"Amazing! Not only did you damage the boulder, you cut it in half! You never cease to amaze me, buddy." Feeling Butterfree hug harder, Ash couldn't help but smile softly. He was so glad that Butterfree was able to come back to him. No one could ever replace the sentimental feeling they shared._

_Joining his Kanto buddies and Heracross, Butterfree placed himself down softly._

_'Wow, such power!' Primeape exclaimed in awe._

_'I know. You really have strengthened up, haven't you bud?' Pidgeot asked, gaining a rather bashful nod from the small bug type._

_'This just shows,' Heracross stated, prompting everyone to look at him. 'From my performance and Butterfree's performance, that bug types can do a lot of damage against rock types. Ain't that right, Butterfree?'_

_'You bet that's right!' Butterfree replied with pride, pumping his paw with Heracross' fist._

_'Hey! Don't forget flying types can as well!' Pidgeot retorted, quoting Togekiss' performances._

_They all laughed at that, before turning their attention back to the center place._

_With only six pokemon left, Ash knew this next one would be very powerful. Not only was this next mon one of his first, this guy was and still is one of his strongest, and also was his key pokemon in many important matches, like in the Battle Frontier versus that Articuno. This pokemon, was none other than Charizard._

_Smirking at knowing that it was finally his turn, Charizard made his way to the center place, eager on teaching a lesson on power._

_Taking a short flight and landing next to Ash, the fire flying type merely smirked at him, gaining an equal smirk in return._

_"I already know that you don't need any more reassurance, buddy. Show these younger mons what power looks like," Ash stated, gaining a snort but also a determined roar from Charizard._

_Charizard made his choice of boulder, waiting patiently for Ash to make his command so he could show off his powerful attack._

_"Charizard use Solarbeam!" Clenching a fist at what would be total obliteration, Ash smiled confidently. He really was a fool for not thinking of using Charizard in the Evergrande Conference. Had he used Charizard, who knows what would have happened when he faced Tyson and his puss n' boots Meowth._

_Nodding with a roar, the fire flying type let the sun's energy collect inside himself, as he felt a beam grow in his throat. Letting it grow even more, Charizard let it out._

_"RAWR!" The attack came out full force, striking the boulder and turning it into complete mush. The Solarbeam continued, making a crater next to the boulder._

_Turning back to Ash, Charizard seemed very uncaring of the praise he was getting, but inside took it wholeheartedly. After Ash had saved him from the Spearow and had helped stick it to his bastard of an ex trainer when he was a mere Charmander, Charizard knew that Ash deserved his entire loyalty. That being said, Charizard still felt intense guilt from the way he had made Ash lose in the Indigo League, eventually leading him to swear to always do his best in any battle, making sure he never let Ash down. Ash had reassured him that he did great when he almost beat that Blaziken in the Silver League Conference, but Charizard just couldn't take it. Now, he had the chance to prove himself. The Sinnoh League._

_Roaring in determination, Charizard flew back to the crowd, intent on seeing Latias' performance._

_"Alright, Latias let's go!" Latias immediately zoomed to Ash, giving him a soft nuzzle._

_Laughing softly at the affectionate eon dragon, Ash rubbed her head. "Let's show them your power, shall we?"_

_Latias nodded, cooing softly but confidently._

_"That's the spirit! Give that boulder a powerful Psychic!" Using her psychic energy to surround the boulder, Latias lifted up the boulder as high as possible, before using a quick jerk of her head to send it flying. The boulder went reeling many meters until it landed on another side of the mountain._

_"Awesome Latias! I'm so proud of you!" Ash exclaimed, before getting glomped once more._

_Laughing, Ash hugged the eon dragon back, before tapping her to let him go. Letting him go sheepishly, the dragon psychic type quickly made her way back to her spot in the crowd, right next to Charizard._

_'Hm, so Psychic energy can actually launch a heavy boulder like a cannon?' Charizard questioned, gaining a nod from Latias._

_'That's right,' The eon dragon confirmed. 'Although, if one does it excessively, it becomes a hassle to attempt.'_

_Ash looked into the eyes of Staraptor, who had already made a short flight to meet him here at the center place._

_"This is pretty special, isn't it?" The teen questioned, getting a squawk of agreement from the bird._

_"A flying type pokemon learning a fighting type move. You don't see that everyday." Smiling softly at the bird, Ash rubbed the feathers on his head that looked like hair._

_"Let's show everyone here that flying types can use fighting type moves just as good and even better than fighting types can. What do you say?" The raven haired teen asked, which he knew would be answered in the affirmative._

_"Staraptor!" Staraptor cried in agreement, already glaring down the boulder he was going to totally destroy._

_"Perfect! Now use Close Combat on that boulder, Staraptor!" Ash ordered with a clenched fist, watching the bird quickly take off._

_Approaching the boulder, the Predator pokemon began to pummel it with multiple pecks, swipes, and talon strikes, which effectively broke the boulder into pieces, just like Infernape had done._

_Backing off the boulder, the normal flying type made his way back to Ash, squawking in pride._

_"Just like I expected, great work buddy!" Ash exclaimed, as Staraptor made it back to the crowd._

_Pachirisu rose up from his spot next to Pikachu, Piplup and Buneary, already knowing that it was finally his turn._

_Scurrying to the center place, the squirrel like pokemon looked up at his trainer, who had already made her way there as well._

_"You ready, Pachirisu?" The blue haired teen asked, getting an excited squeak from the tiny electric type._

_Dawn nodded. "Alright! Pachirisu use Thunderbolt!"_

_"Chi Pa!" Running to one of the closer boulders, the electric type quickly charged the attack, just like how Pikachu had showed him._

_"Chi...PA!" Releasing the bolt of energy, the Thunderbolt struck the boulder, easily crisping it into a black, ashy color._

_"Chi pa! Chi pa! Chi pa!" Pachirisu exclaimed in glee, scurrying over to Dawn, who picked up the tiny electric type to rub his fur._

_"Perfect! Pikachu taught you well!" Dawn praised the tiny electric type, before gently setting down Pachirisu to join his buddies in the crowd._

_Dawn walked back into the crowd, patting Latias' head, knowing that she was done commanding as only Ash's pokemon were left._

_Cracking his neck as he had been doing this for a rather long time, Ash walked back to the center place and waited for the second last pokemon to make their way to where he was._

_Pidgeot took a short flight just like how Charizard and Staraptor had done, looking at Ash for instruction._

_"You know what to do buddy. Sky Attack!" Flying up above the boulder, the giant bird gained intense speed from the drop, colliding with the boulder full force. As Pidgeot expected, the boulder could not take all the pressure from the drop, becoming flattened down and broken._

_Rising up from the boulder, Pidgeot took in the praise Ash was giving her, glad she had made the choice to find Ash. Had she not, who knows what she would have done for life?_

_"I already knew you'd do great, but either way, I'm proud of you Pidgeot!" After rubbing the bird's crest and letting Pidgeot go back to her spot in the crowd, Ash sighed slightly, having done this already for 16 pokemon. Not that he didn't like doing it, it was that he just sort of felt like a contest judge, something he really didn't want to do for a living._

_"And finally, Gliscor!" Ash exclaimed, happy that he had made time to include the bat pokemon in his training._

_"Gliscor!" It exclaimed, excited that it was finally his turn._

_"Alright buddy, you're a very versatile pokemon, and Earthquake is a move you'll need since, you know, you're a ground type and all. I already have faith you'll do great, but good luck anyway!" Stepping away from Gliscor to not get knocked down, Ash gave his final command._

_"Gliscor! Earthquake!" Nodding, Gliscor quickly slammed down it's tail claw, effectively creating a crack in the ground, submerging the nearest boulders, just like how Mamoswine had done._

_Flying back to everyone else, he plopped himself down._

_'Like I said, you did great,' Mamoswine said._

_'That is true,' Sceptile agreed. 'It'll really help with those pesky pokemon who are too fast and small to hit.'_

_'And finally, this whole move performance thing is over,' Torterra remarked, glad that was finished, as it was really time consuming._

_Ash made his way to Dawn, basically throwing himself to the spot next to her. He laid his head on her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief. Dawn patted his head with a soft smile, knowing fully well that the boy was spent._

_"And finally, we're done," Ash announced, as everyone else heaved a sigh of relief as well, even Mewtwo._

**FLASHBACK END:**

After that very time consuming training day, Mewtwo realized something important. The pokemon overall, seemed to be wanting more. Wanting more as in they wanted harder training.

At first, the psychic type was going to take it easy on the younger mons, but the fire and determination in their eyes convinced him that they could take the harder training.

Primarily, Mewtwo had decided on one event each day after seeing that all of the younger pokemon could not take more than one event a day. Even though they were tired out on the first day, Mewtwo only saw the desire inside each and every one of them to be able to withstand more, and to become more enduring.

Ash and Dawn caught on to the situation on training day 9, and encouraged Mewtwo to go on with the rougher work. Agreeing, the psychic legendary added more stakes to each event, such as a double Marathon, two moves per week for Move Learning, a Double Disadvantage/Double Advantage for each pokemon, and a new added Accuracy Practice/Evasion Practice.

**FLASHBACK:**

_"**Alright mons! Today, we are adding something new," **Mewtwo announced, looking each pokemon in the eye once before speaking once more._

_"What did you have in mind, Mewtwo?" Ash asked, having no idea what the legendary had planned._

_"**Simple, Ash. Since you two requested to up the stakes, I am doing just that. Now, instead of a simple Move Learning, all of the pokemon have to learn two moves per week. Since there is only a month before the Conference, and you all have already learned one move already, you have three or moves to learn before the Sinnoh League. In addition to that, we will now have a double Marathon race instead of a single one, as you need the extra endurance training. Continuing on, there will now be a double Type Advantage/Disadvantage, to help your resistance to super effective attacks, and to grow stronger against the weaker type. Finishing the list, is a new event that we are doing today, called Accuracy/Evasion Practice. Do I make myself clear?!" **Hearing nothing but the cries, roars, and yelps of agreement, Mewtwo could only chuckle at all of the pokemon's energy. Turning to Ash, he began to explain to his trainer just how to set this up._

_The A/E practice consisted of a 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, 5v5, or 6v6 battle, with one team dodging and the other team attacking. It was like a game of sorts, with the dodging team aiming to survive as much time as possible without getting hit while countering the attacks, and for the attacking team to get as many hits as possible without missing._

_After discussing with Dawn about the teams, Ash looked towards the huddle of eager pokemon, clearing his throat._

_"Alright guys! It's time to team up!" Ash exclaimed, smiling at the feisty group of mons present before him._

_The raven haired teen motioned to his blue haired companion, who nodded, standing next to him._

_"We've already made the teams, so be ready! The rules for this event is simple. Each team has 1-6 pokemon and they must face another team of equal number. Each team has a distinct role. One team is the attack team, and the other is the dodge team. The attack team's role, is pretty self explanatory. You attack, trying to get as many hits as possible without missing, thus the reason why it's called Accuracy Practice and not Attack Practice. The dodge team's main role is to evade the other team's attacks swiftly and quickly, while also trying to counter the moves with one of their own. To make this fair and so that we can watch every single pokemon without having to check around the mountain, we'll have two teams play each other in the center of the mountain, while the others wait. The winner is decided when only one pokemon is left standing." Dawn took a deep breath, having said a lot. Taking out a sheet of paper, she handed it to Ash._

_"Okay, so Dawn wrote the teams on this sheet of paper, which I'll read." Ash cleared his throat once more, knowing that his reading skills were decent at best._

_"Since there are 22 of you, we'll have 7 teams of 3, with one team having four. Team One is Primeape, Quilava, and Gabite. Team Two is Pachirisu, Latias, and Sceptile. Team Three is Infernape, Togekiss, and Buizel. Team Four is Torterra, Pikachu, and Heracross. Team Five is Staraptor, Butterfree, and Mewtwo. Team Six is Gliscor, Charizard, and Buneary. Finally, the last, but not least, Team Seven is Mamoswine, Piplup, Tyranitar, and Pidgeot. Teams, get together and discuss any plans you may have, while Dawn and I shuffle the teams." As soon as that was said, all seven teams immediately grouped up together, greeting one another then beginning to talk about strategies, team positions, and cooperation in general._

_After a short while that Ash and Dawn gave the teams to sort out whatever they needed, it was finally time to start._

_Mewtwo came over and talked to them about something quick, before going back to his team._

_"Alright guys! First match is Team Pikachu versus Team Primeape! Everyone else can sit and watch!" Dawn exclaimed, as the two aforementioned teams got ready on the center place._

_At some point during the time they had to sort teams out, the teams of pokemon made one pokemon of each team the team captain, and whatever pokemon that was would be the name of the team. After learning of the team names, Ash and Dawn quickly set up the teams with their names to be able to battle as the attacking team once, and dodging team once._

_Pikachu, Torterra, and Heracross quickly made her spots on the center place, with Pikachu in the middle, Torterra on the far right and Heracross on the far left._

_Team Primeape did the same, although Quilava took the center, with Primeape and Gabite flanking from behind._

_Ash walked up to the middle, about to tell the teams who was dodging and who was attacking. Having already gotten Dawn to set a timer for how long the battles would be, Ash knew that this game of sorts was ready to start._

_"Alright guys! Team Pikachu is the dodging team, while Team Primeape is the attacking team!" Ash exclaimed, backing up from the center place._

_"Whoever is left standing, is the winner! Ready, Begin!" As soon as that was said, the two teams spring into action. Team Pikachu began their defensive strategy by having Torterra in front to take the hits with his bulk, Pikachu on the sides to make his counters, and Heracross from behind to protect Torterra and give out counters as well. Team Primeape's game plan was to have Gabite and Primeape up in front with their powerful attacks, and to have Quilava give out ranged special attacks from behind._

_**POKESPEECH ON:**_

_"You can make the first move!" Pikachu exclaimed, shifting around on his hind legs._

_"Alright, if you say so!" Gabite replied, charging up a Dual Chop. Primeape sprinted behind Gabite, ready to counterattack whoever tried to counter the Dual Chop._

_Quilava stayed back, charging up a long ranged Eruption to strike Heracross when he was distracted._

_"Take this! Raah!" The dragon type screeched, intent on driving his two giant fins into Torterra's tree._

_"Oh no you don't!" Heracross retorted, jumping up above Torterra and going in for a Megahorn._

_Unfortunately for the bug type, Gabite ducked, only for Primeape to give Heracross a powerful Cross Chop._

_"Ah!" The bug/fighting type winced, falling down from the fast attack. Pikachu immediately sprung into action, leaping up and grabbing Primeape._

_"Try this!" The mouse exclaimed, shocking the living daylights out of Primeape with a direct Thunder._

_While this was going on, Torterra took the chance to quickly grab Gabite with Frenzy Plant, making the dragon type flail._

_Quilava had initially charged up his attack to combat Heracross, but saw that his teammate was in trouble and instead aimed it for Torterra's tree._

_"Watch out Gabite! Incoming!" Quilava warned, which Gabite quickly listened to, ducking his head and letting the Eruption hit directly on Torterra's tree._

_"Oh! That stings!" The continent pokemon cringed from the super effective attack, letting Gabite go in the process._

_Now free, Gabite quickly went in for Pikachu, catching the mouse off guard. Jumping forward for a powerful Earthquake, Pikachu knew he had to think fast._

_Jumping up to dodge the Earthquake. Pikachu would have never expected for Primeape to appear out of the blue and use a stronger variation of Tackle, slamming the mouse into the ground._

_"Pikachu!" Heracross exclaimed, using Megahorn to blast Primeape away from the electric type._

_Gabite saw the opening, quickly using Dual Chop to get Heracross away from Primeape._

_"Quilava!" Gabite exclaimed, running up next to the fire type. "Go in for Torterra! He's unprotected!"_

_"Right!" Quilava agreed, sprinting for the grass ground type._

_Torterra quickly went for a Rock Climb, distancing himself from the fire type._

_Leaping over the rocks with impressive speed, Quilava made it to the grass type, only for Pikachu to stand in front of him._

_Noticing that Heracross had took back his place behind Torterra, Quilava was about to back up, until his teammates Gabite and Primeape quickly took guard._

_"Don't worry bud, we wouldn't make you do this alone," Gabite reassured the fire type, with Primeape nodding as well._

_"Yeah. Now, let's do this!" The pig monkey exclaimed, raising his right paw._

_Quilava nodded. "Yeah!" Noticing that Primeape was currently on the sides, the fire type knew it meant he had to attack._

_Charging up a Swift, the fire type quickly took guard behind Gabite, as the dragon type was about to release an Earthquake._

_"When I say go, you jump!" The dragon ground type exclaimed, knowing this attack could seriously hurt Quilava._

_Pikachu wanted to stop that from happening, quickly diving in with a Volt Tackle._

_Primeape saw the danger that could happen to his teammate, immediately stepping in front of Quilava._

_Heracross ran in on the offensive, immediately using Brick Break to push back Primeape._

_Seeing his opening, Gabite quickly yelled "JUMP!"._

_Following instructions, the fire type quickly leaped up as high as possible, just slightly missing the ground when the attack hit._

_The only pokemon that was hit was Torterra, as his other team mates jumped onto his tree, as the grass ground type really didn't feel it from his type resistances._

_Finding a perfect opening, the dragon type went for it. __"RAWR!" Sprinting in at full speed with a powerful Dragon Rush, his other teammates quickly followed the normal strategy with Primeape sprinting from behind the dragon and Quilava charging up a long range move._

_Team Pikachu performed their strategy as well, with Pikachu shifting from left to right to counter, Torterra up front to take the attacks with his bulk, and Heracross behind Torterra to counter and defend._

_"Here it comes again!" The bug fighting type exclaimed, putting intense weight on his thighs to be ready to jump. "Be ready!"_

_Diving in with Dragon Rush, Gabite quickly swerved to let Primeape go straight, then ducked to let Quilava release his eruption._

_Pikachu quickly let out a powerful Thunderbolt to momentarily stop Primeape, while Heracross went in for the Megahorn on the pig monkey._

_Torterra once again went in for the Frenzy Plant, once again catching Gabite._

_Quilava released his Eruption in the middle of Heracross and Torterra, as Primeape got up from the recent knockdown from Heracross._

_Sprinting in quickly, Primeape used his superior power and speed to use a Low Kick on Torterra, knocking down the grass type. Gabite was freed once more, laying down a Dual Chop on the grass ground type as well._

_Torterra was really feeling all that damage, and did not expect for Quilava to release an Eruption directly on where he was._

_The grass type cringed, falling down on his side. The electric mouse made his presence known by quickly using Volt Tackle on Quilava while Primeape and Gabite were busy with Torterra._

_"Finally I can land a hit on you!" Pikachu exclaimed mid collision, catching the fire type totally off guard. As he was close range, Quilava quickly latched himself onto Pikachu, not letting go for anything._

_"And so can I!" The fire type replied, using a point blank Eruption._

_Pikachu screamed in pain from the intense flames, then winced with flames exuding from his body. He was burned._

_"Pikachu!" Torterra exclaimed feebly, just now getting up from that powerful barrage of attacks he took._

_While this happened, Heracross quickly charged up a double Brick Break, chopping Gabite and Primeape on their craniums._

_As the two attacking pokemon reeled back, Heracross saw that both of his teammates were in bad condition, meaning that he may have to do this himself._

_"H-Heracross...I'm alright," Torterra said to his teammate softly, trying and failing to walk over to him._

_"No Torterra. You can barely walk. It's fine, you took more attacks than anyone else," Heracross reassured the grass type._

_Torterra sighed. "I guess you're right." Ash seemed to notice as well, helping the grass ground type off the field._

_"Torterra is unable to battle!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, letting the continent pokemon rest while Dawn took out healing supplies._

_Pikachu pushed Quilava off of him, still wincing from his burn._

_Unfortunately, Primeape had gotten up and gave the mouse a powerful Cross Chop to send him back down._

_Heracross sprung into action, using Megahorn then a quick Brick Break to distance the other fighting type from Pikachu._

_Gabite saw another opening, quickly using Dragon Rush to knock Heracross down. It seemed as if the attacking team was going to win, as Heracross and Pikachu were beginning to get very weak._

_Quilava was once again charging up an Eruption, eager on finishing off Heracross once and for all._

_"Primeape, distract Heracross!" Quilava told his teammate, as the fire type attack was almost ready._

_The fighting type nodded. "Gotcha!" Springing into action, the pig monkey quickly went in for the bug fighting type, only to be intercepted by Pikachu._

_"W-What the?" Primeape questioned as he was shocked to the bone by a powerful Thunder._

_"You think I'd go down that easy?" Pikachu asked, adding in a Quick Attack to keep Primeape grounded, before laying on him to keep him in a grip._

_"Now Heracross!" The mouse yelled with gritted teeth, not able to keep the squirming pig monkey down for long._

_"Take this- Woah!" The bug fighting type couldn't perform his move as Gabite came out of nowhere, quickly using Bite to grab hold of Heracross, before adding a quick spin to throw him down into the ground._

_As Heracross got slammed down once more, Primeape used the distraction to his advantage and quickly used his powerful thigh muscles to launch Pikachu off pf him. Capitalizing on the momentum, the pig monkey quickly went for the finishing move, Seismic Toss._

_"This is over!" Primeape exclaimed, gaining a crazy expression. Slamming the mouse full force, Primeape knew that Pikachu was done. Or so he thought._

_Meanwhile, Gabite tried to give another Dual Chop, which was intercepted with a Brick Break from Heracross._

_"You're going down, there's nothing you can do!" Gabite taunted, only for Heracross to Megahorn the dragon._

_"Just because you have an advantage, doesn't mean anything!" The bug type retorted, floating above the grounded dragon type._

_"Yes, yes it does!" Gabite exclaimed with a dirty smirk, causing Heracross to look at him in confusion._

_"And how is that?" Heracross questioned, wondering just what the dragon had planned._

_"Because of THIS!" As soon as Gabite finished his sentence_,_ Heracross felt the most terrible pain known to his kind aside from flying attacks. Fire, and lots of it._

_"RAAH!" Quilava screamed, hitting the bug type point blank with a steaming Eruption._

_"AAAH!" The fire burned him to a crisp, and Heracross knew that it was over for him. __He fainted, unable to take anymore._

_"Heracross is unable to battle!" Ash declared, going over and helping Heracross off the center place._

_'Dammit,' Pikachu cursed to himself, knowing he was in a dire situation. He was the only pokemon left versus three others. Not only that, but that Seismic toss from Primeape really banged him up. Rising up off the ground, the three other pokemon were right in front of him, leering at him to see if he'd continue._

_"You can quit now, Pikachu," Gabite taunted, with his two teammates nodding in agreement._

_"Don't be foolish Gabite, you know I would never give up. No matter the situation, I'll continue on with my fullest. That's my motto, mine and Ash's," Pikachu declared, glaring hard into each and every one of their eyes._

_"And you know what that means?" The electric mouse questioned, getting a shake of the head from each pokemon._

_"That means that I...Won't...LOSE!" Jumping up and using Iron Tail on Primeape to trip him, the electric mouse quickly used Volt Tackle on Quilava, then he dodged the Dual Chop that Gabite tried to use on him._

_Landing on the ground in front of Gabite and the momentarily grounded Primeape and Quilava, he sprinted in again to keep them down._

_"Sorry Pikachu! But it won't happen!" The dragon ground type sped in and intercepted the mouse, using Dragon Rush to try to finish the mouse off._

_"Try me!" Jumping over the Dragon Rush, Pikachu quickly performed a flip and used a boosted Iron Tail to knock Gabite down._

_Once again, Primeape sprung up with his own variation of tackle, only for Pikachu to smirk._

_As the pig monkey tackled him, the electric mouse let out a powerful Thunder, crisping the pig monkey once more._

_Right when Pikachu was about to finish Primeape off, Quilava came in with another powerful Eruption. Seeing no way to dodge the move, the electric mouse quickly jumped behind Primeape, letting the fighting type take the attack._

_"AHH!" Primeape screeched in pain._

_"Oh no! Primeape!" Quilava exclaimed in anguish. As soon as he was about to see if the pig monkey alright, the fire type took a powerful Volt Tackle head on. The force of the attack was too much, fainting the fire type._

_"Quilava is unable to battle!" Ash declared, picking up and carrying Quilava off the center place and handing him to Dawn._

_"You've got this Pikachu!" Torterra exclaimed, although he was still recovering._

_"He's right buddy! Show them the power of Team Pikachu!" Heracross added, with multiple bandages on his body._

_"This has gone on long enough!" Gabite declared, sprinting to the mouse._

_Primeape rose up as well, albeit burned and weak._

_Gabite brought up his foot, ready to finish Pikachu with an Earthquake._

_Seeing the danger in his move, Pikachu immediately thought up a plan. Jumping up and latching onto Primeape's face, the pig monkey started to flail._

_"Primeape!" The dragon type exclaimed, diving with a Dual Chop to get Pikachu off._

_The electric mouse quickly jumped off Primeape's face, letting the pig monkey take the attack._

_Unfortunately for Team Primeape, the captain of the team just couldn't take anymore damage, having taken multiple Thunder attacks, and a powerful Eruption, he was spent._

_"Primeape is unable to battle!" Ash exclaimed, taking the fighting type off the center place._

_Gabite and Pikachu glared at one another, knowing that it was now a simple last man standing match._

_"I guess I underestimated you, Pikachu," Gabite admitted, thinking about how the mouse took out his two teammates. Well, he was Ash's first pokemon, so it made sense._

_"Maybe so, but I just want you to know that I'm not holding back." The mouse replied, leering into the eyes of his bigger foe._

_The dragon ground type smirked. "I wouldn't want it any other way."_

_Springing into action, Gabite went in for a grab. Pikachu waited for the dragon to get close, then jumped over Gabite to deliver an Iron Tail. Unfortunately, Gabite predicted that and gave the mouse a powerful upwards Dual Chop, sending the mouse up into the air. Seeing his chance, the dragon ground type quickly went for a sky Dragon Rush, sending himself up with the mouse._

_Although what Pikachu was about to do was very dangerous, he knew it was worth it. Spinning around in a full circle, the electric mouse charged up a mid air Volt Tackle, putting all the force downwards. Since Volt Tackle did nothing to Gabite because of his ground typing, the electric mouse was hoping the force from the two attacks colliding would help hurt Gabite with his own attack._

_The two pokemon collided, one upwards, the other downwards. The force of both attacks was so strong, that both pokemon plummeted to the ground, causing a giant cloud of smoke._

_Inside the smoke, Gabite still had some left in him, ready to finish this off with a bang. He hadn't used his signature move until now because he had teammates and they could get injured, but now it was only him and the team captain, Pikachu._

_Speaking of the captain, he had already risen, ready to end this as well. One of the only reasons he was able to withstand so many attacks was because of his current adrenaline rush, which he felt slowly dropping. He had to end this now, or he'd be too weak to continue._

_"Gabite!" Pikachu yelled, noticing the pokemon rise as well. "Let's finish this now!"_

_"I agree!" The dragon ground type shouted back. They both squared up, glaring hard at each other._

_"I haven't used this all battle, but now is the time!" Gabite exclaimed, charging up his signature attack._

_'Draco Meteor,' Pikachu said to himself. 'If I don't find a counter then I'm finished!'_

_Sprinting with an added quick attack, Pikachu did all he could. Going in for the strongest Iron Tail he had ever tried, the electric mouse launched himself to the currently charging dragon._

_Unfortunately, Gabite had finished charging his attack, with Pikachu landing on his head. Releasing it, the attack exploded in the air, falling down powerfully to the ground._

_'Shit!' Pikachu cursed, clamping down on to Gabite's head. Trying and failing to get the pesky mouse off his cranium, the dragon type had to simultaneously dodge the orbs of draconian energy which were currently falling to the ground as Pikachu kept making him swerve._

_"It won't work!" Gabite exclaimed, almost getting hit by an orb._

_"Just watch!" The electric mouse shouted back, swerving aggressively to the left, making the dragon ground type get hit by an orb._

_Jumping off at the last second, Pikachu thought he was safe, although a nearby orb struck him as well._

_Both pokemon fell, Gabite from the super effective attack and Pikachu from his adrenaline being depleted._

_Ash looked at both pokemon, and began to count down._

_"10, 9, 8," Neither pokemon moved._

_"7, 6, 5," The two pokemon were both still, eyes closed. Pikachu felt a small surge of energy left, beginning to open his eyes._

_"4,3,2," Gabite lay still, breathing softly, with Pikachu trying and failing to get on his hind legs._

_"1- PIKA!" Pikachu leaped into the air, landing barely on his tail. Breathing heavily, the electric mouse stood shakily on his tail._

_"Gabite is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! That means that, Team Pikachu wins!" After that was said, everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped wholeheartedly with their utmost excitement. Not only was that a great match, it was like a league match!_

_Pikachu sighed in relief, falling down onto the ground. Dawn came and picked him up, patting the obviously spent mouse on the back._

_Meanwhile, Ash went to Gabite. "Amazing Gabite! You were just a second from having a tie with my first pokemon! Feel proud buddy!"_

_Although Gabite was feeling rather down from his loss, that extra fact about him almost tying with Ash's first pokemon really did make him feel good. "RAWR!"_

_"That's the spirit! Now take a good rest!" Ash said with a smile, carrying Gabite off the center place._

* * *

_After Pikachu's comeback and everyone got healed, the next two teams were ready to go._

_"Okay guys! Next match is Team Charizard versus Team Togekiss!" Dawn declared, as the two teams got onto the center place._

_Team Charizard's strategy was to have Buneary up front, Charizard on the sides, and Gliscor in the back._

_Team Togekiss' strategy was to have Infernape in front, Togekiss right behind Infernape, and Buizel on the sides._

_"Team Togekiss is the attacking team and Team Charizard is the dodging team!" Ash exclaimed, letting the two teams sort out themselves._

_"The last pokemon standing is the winner! Begin!"_

* * *

**To be continued...**

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**This was definitely the longest chapter I've ever written, a whopping 12k!**

**Well, I wanted to continue on so I could skip more time, but this chapter was already way longer than my usual ones.**

**That being said, I'll most likely continue on with the flashbacks next chapter. But hey, it all depends.**

**Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry for taking so long, bye!**


	13. Getting Ready for the League

**Hello! Jay1414 here, with another installment to this story of mine.**

**I'm getting really excited, you wanna know why?**

**It's conference time!**

**I'm really giddy about it since I'm going to be making it as original as possible. Heck, I might not even have Ash face the same opponents.**

**Well, I don't want to spoil anything else, so enjoy the chapter!**

**And, I have to announce that I am now a beta reader! Send me any requests you may have.**

"Dialogue"

'thoughts'

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

"_Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_"1- PIKA!" Pikachu leaped into the air, landing barely on his tail. Breathing heavily, the electric mouse stood shakily on his tail._

_"Gabite is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! That means that, Team Pikachu wins!" After that was said, everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped wholeheartedly with their utmost excitement. Not only was that a great match, it was like a league match!_

_Pikachu sighed in relief, falling down onto the ground. Dawn came and picked him up, patting the obviously spent mouse on the back._

_Meanwhile, Ash went to Gabite. "Amazing Gabite! You were just a second from having a tie with my first pokemon! Feel proud buddy!"_

_Although Gabite was feeling rather down from his loss, that extra fact about him almost tying with Ash's first pokemon really did make him feel good. "RAWR!"_

_"That's the spirit! Now take a good rest!" Ash said with a smile, carrying Gabite off the center place._

* * *

_After Pikachu's comeback and everyone got healed, the next two teams were ready to go._

_"Okay guys! Next match is Team Charizard versus Team Togekiss!" Dawn declared, as the two teams got onto the center place._

_Team Charizard's strategy was to have Buneary up front, Charizard on the sides, and Gliscor in the back._

_Team Togekiss' strategy was to have Infernape in front, Togekiss right behind Infernape, and Buizel on the sides._

_"Team Togekiss is the attacking team and Team Charizard is the dodging team!" Ash exclaimed, letting the two teams sort out themselves._

_"The last pokemon standing is the winner! Begin!"_

* * *

**Chapter 12: Get****ting**** Ready For The Sinnoh League!**

Finally, it was time. After a gruesome month of intense training, Ash, Dawn, and all their beloved pokemon couldn't feel more complete. It was time for the Lily of the Valley Conference. The Sinnoh League.

Not only did the pokemon became stronger physically, they also grew mentally, with mental strategies and maneuvers to outsmart their opponents. Each pokemon grew incredibly from what they were at first, some even evolving.

**FLASHBACK:**

_"Alright! Buizel use Ice Punch!" Ash commanded, wanting to counter the powerful Pidgeot._

_"Bui!" Swerving so Pidgeot went over his head, the water type quickly sprung up and punched the giant bird with a fist encased in ice._

_"Heads up Buizel!" The Pallet Town native warned, noticing the bird break out of her daze from the super effective attack._

_Pidgeot flew in with a Sky Attack, colliding with Buizel._

_They both fell to the ground, right in front of their trainer._

_The giant bird rose up after a few moments, although Buizel stayed put. Knowing that the water type was finished, Ash ordered for the match to stop._

_Walking over to Buizel, Ash picked up his head._

_"Are you alright?" The raven haired teen asked, rubbing the water type's head._

_"Bui..." Buizel replied idly, feeling incredibly odd. Feeling something in him change, he let it. His body began to glow, as his entire form began to grow, even his flotation sac,_

_"Woah! Buizel you're evolving!" At that exclamation, Buizel realized what this meant. He could finally be a Floatzel! __It took barely 10 seconds, and there he was in all of his glory. Letting out a cocky smirk at finally being at his final form, the newly evolved water type gave out a fierce battle cry. "FLOATZEL!"_

**FLASHBACK END:**

On account for the moves the pokemon were supposed to learn, the list of each pokemon's moves is listed below: (The moves in bold are the ones that were newly learned) Every pokemon has ten moves with the exceptions of Pikachu, Charizard, Latias, and Mewtwo.

**Ash's Sinnoh Team:**

Pikachu: Volt Tackle, **Volt Switch,** **Electro Ball**, Thunderbolt, Agility, Thunder, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, **Light Screen,** **Double Team, ****Discharge, Slam, **and ** Protect**

Infernape: Flare Blitz, **Close Combat, **Flame Wheel, Mach Punch, Dig, Flamethrower, **Calm Mind, ****Punishment, Brick Break, **and **Low Sweep.**

Torterra: Rock Climb, **Frenzy Plant, **Synthesis, Energy Ball, Leaf Storm, Razor Leaf, **Earthquake, ****Leech Seed, Crunch, **and ** Protect**

Floatzel: Ice Punch, Aqua Jet, Sonicboom, Water Pulse, **Agility, **Hydro Pump, **Aqua Ring, Crunch,** **Rain Dance, **and **Waterfall**.

Gabite: **Earthquake, **Bite, **Dragon Rush, Dual Chop, **Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Dig, ** Protect ****Fire Blast, **and **Dragon Claw.**

Staraptor: Wing Attack, Aerial Ace, Brave Bird, Whirlwind(It was shown as Gust in most of the anime then it was changed to Whirlwind because Staraptor and it's first and second stage cannot learn it) **Agility, Final Gambit, Double Team, Return, Close Combat **and **Roost.**

Gliscor: Steel Wing, X-Scissor, Stone Edge, Giga Impact, Fire Fang, **Earthquake, Protect, Thunder Fang, Swords Dance, **and **Guillotine.**

**Ash's pokemon from past journeys:**

Sceptile: Agility, Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Solarbeam, Leaf Storm, Quick Attack, **X-Scissor, Dragon Pulse, ****Detect, **and **Sunny Day.**

Charizard: Steel Wing, Fly, Dragon Rage, Seismic Toss, Overheat, Flamethrower, Dragon Tail, Wing Attack, Slash, **Solarbeam, **Dragonbreath, **Air Slash, Flare Blitz,** and Fire Spin.

Heracross: Sleep Talk, Megahorn, Horn Attack, Focus Punch, Hyper Beam, Brick Break, **Aerial Ace, Bulk Up, Bullet Seed, **and **Reversal.**

Primeape: Karate Chop, Seismic Toss, Thrash, Mega Kick, Low Kick, **Final Gambit, **Cross Chop, **Outrage,** Rage,and Detect.

Butterfree: Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Whirlwind, **Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, **Poison Powder,** Aerial Ace, U-Turn, Protect, **and Roost.

Pidgeot: Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Quick Attack, **Sky Attack, **Roost, Agility, **Air Slash, Protect, Hurricane, **and Brave Bird.

**Ash's newly caught pokemon:**

Tyranitar: Earthquake, **Dragon Dance, **Rock Slide, Screech, Crunch, Slash, **Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, **and Dark Pulse.

Latias: **Psychic, **Mist Ball, Dragon Pulse, Recover, Protect, Safeguard, **Draco Meteor, **Dragonbreath, **Calm Mind, **Aerial Ace, Fly, **Ice Beam, **and **Shadow Ball.**

Mewtwo: Psychic, Psystrike, **Aura Sphere, **Recover, Future Sight, Dark Pulse, Barrier, Calm Mind, Protect, Shadow Ball, **Substitute**, **Amnesia, Disable, **Safeguard, Reflect, and Light Screen.

**Dawn's pokemon:**

Piplup: Peck, **Drill Peck, Ice Beam, **Bide, Whirlpool, Bubble Beam, **Hydro Pump, Double Team,** **Protect, **and **Headbutt.**

Togekiss: Sky Attack, **Air Slash, **Aura Sphere, Safeguard, **Extremespeed, Roost, Reflect, Light Screen, Double Team, **and Protect.

Quilava: **Eruption, **Swift, Flamethrower, Flame Wheel, Smokescreen, **Will-O-Wisp, Protect, Dig, **Quick Attack, and **Overheat.**

Buneary: Bounce, Dizzy Punch, **Brick Break, **Ice Beam, **Baton Pass, Attract, Jump Kick, Agility, Return, **and **Protect.**

Mamoswine: **Earthquake, **Double Edge, Ice Shard, Ice Fang, Ancient Power, Hidden Power, **Hail, Blizzard, Dig, **and **Protect.**

Pachirisu: Spark, Discharge, **Thunderbolt, **Super Fang, Sweet Kiss, **Electro Ball, Double Team, Volt Switch, **Quick Attack, and **Last Resort.**

It took their all for each pokemon to learn and have ten moves, but they accomplished it with their utmost best, which they were all very proud of.

* * *

Just one day from the opening of the Conference, Ash and his companions were currently relaxing at a park near the center of Lily of the Valley Island, glad that they had time to rest before the league.

Ash yawned. "Sure is great to relax after all that heavy training!" Reaching for a sandwich, the raven haired teen took a bite.

Brock chuckled. "Well, it's all worth it in the end, isn't it?"

"You got that right!" Dawn agreed, taking a sip of her lemonade. The blue haired teen felt so complete, not only proud of her pokemon for pushing themselves to their limits, but also of herself for being able to get accustomed to the training Mewtwo gave them.

Gary Oak, professor-in-training, patted his ex-rival's back. "Even though I already know you'll do fine, good luck Ashy-Boy." Ash smiled at the brunette in gratitude, glad that he had friends to support him.

'Speaking of friends, I wonder how Bianca is doing,' The raven haired trainer wondered to himself, having only seen the blonde from time to time during the month. She seemed really set on, wanting to prove herself as strong. Ash supported her wholeheartedly, knowing that the Unovan girl already had an advantage as she was foreign in this region with pokemon native to her region. Bianca had let Ash know that she started her journey in Unova, making it to the top 8 in her first conference before deciding to travel to Sinnoh to compete in their respective conference. Thoroughly impressed, Ash also told her about his own conference achievements, shocking the blonde as she had no idea Ash was such an experienced trainer.

Chuckling at thinking about the energetic blonde, Ash put his arms behind his head, knowing that tomorrow would be a roller coaster of events.

The teen had not seen Paul once, leading him to assume that his rival was training elsewhere, most likely planning to make his way to the Pokemon Center soon.

Barry had been seen many times, although the blonde trainer seemed to have gained a different mindset as a trainer. He was very, very much more determined than before, and honestly, it made Ash happy. Barry was also his rival, and Ash wanted his rival to be as strong as possible.

Conway was rarely seen, as he usually wasn't at the Pokemon Center, but was seen regardless.

Nando, although seen from time to time, was mostly spotted around the island in different spots and locations, doing who knows what.

As Ash reflected and slacked off, Dawn, Brock, Gary and Sapphire had a conversation, while Delia and Oak did the same.

**'It's almost time, be ready Ash,' **Mewtwo's voice broke the startled boy's thoughts, although Ash was used to Mewtwo's unplanned interruptions and only made a noise of agreement.

'Of course. We've trained too hard for me to not just give my all,' Ash answered, looking up into the cloudless sky. 'I'm ready Paul. Let's hope you are too.'

**'It's a guarantee Paul will be ready,' **The psychic type stated, closing the psychic link as an explosion occurred in the background where he was. Opening his eyes, Mewtwo looked at Gabite, in the middle of a batch of broken boulders, who had a rather sheepish look on his face.

"**Gabite, save it for the conference. We wouldn't want you to strain yourself, now would we?" **Gabite nodded solemnly, knowing Ash would be upset if the dragon type had hurt himself.

Rising up out of the rocks, Gabite looked around. Everyone else was relaxing, as tomorrow was conference day. Of course, they were going back to Sinnoh later tonight, but for now, Ash and Dawn let them all rest and recover from all the training they've had.

'Sorry Mewtwo. Just excited,' The dragon ground type responded to the legendary, who merely nodded.

"**It's fine, just take it easy. I'm giddy as well, even though I most likely will not be used unless it is absolutely necessary. Just like Latias," **The psychic type replied, thinking about if they got to the Elite Four. If so, then he and Latias would definitely be used.

* * *

Back to Ash, it seemed the boy had dozed off, as the sky was beginning to darken.

Feeling a nudge, the raven haired teen opened his eyes to see Dawn and Sapphire, seemingly trying to wake the boy up.

"Time to go!" Dawn exclaimed, giving Ash a hand to let the boy rise to his feet. Cracking his neck as he happened to fall asleep in a very uncomfortable position, Ash noticed that only him, Dawn and Sapphire were still present.

"_The other four left because they said they had things to do before the conference, and let us know that they'd meet us back at the Pokemon Center." _Sapphire wrote on her whiteboard, having swapped the black marker for a shiny red one.

"Oh, thanks," The raven haired teen replied, taking both female's arms as they walked back to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Arriving back at the Pokemon Center, the trio looked at each other, before nodding.

"I think it's better now then later," Ash stated, knowing what was in all of their minds.

Already knowing what he meant by that, the three walked into the all familiar forest, waiting for Mewtwo to come get them.

Ash couldn't stop walking at a fast pace, undoubtedly giddy about tomorrow. I mean, why wouldn't he be in an excited mood? It was finally time to prove himself!

Dawn giggled at seeing the boy basically speed his way across the darkening grasses. "Simmer down, Ash! The conference isn't until tomorrow, silly."

The raven haired teen laughed while shrugging. "Yeah, but I just can't believe it's finally time! I've never felt more ready in my life for anything!"

Sapphire smiled at her trainer/love interest. Not really wanting to write while she was walking, the blonde merely grabbed and squeezed the boy's hand softly.

Dawn seemed to get the message, grabbing Ash's other hand and squeezing it as well.

Looking back and forth from the two females, Ash smiled softly, his excitement mellowing some.

Interlocking both of his hands, the raven haired teen continued to walk with pride, only at a slower pace to not drag the two females with him.

Making it to their destination, the trio waited for Mewtwo to come, and when he did, they were instantly teleported to Mt. Quena.

* * *

Walking across the mountain, Ash and Dawn quickly searched for their pokemon, albeit it being rather dark.

After a brief search, the two trainers had successfully returned all their pokemon, with the exceptions of Pikachu, Latias and Mewtwo.

Teleporting them back quickly, the trio, now a quartet stood and waited for Ash to return Mewtwo.

"Alright Mewtwo, I promise I won't let you or anyone else down," Ash said wholeheartedly, returning the psychic type.

"**I have no doubts," **Mewtwo replied as he was sucked into the capsule. Putting the poke ball on his necklace, Ash walked with Dawn and Sapphire back to the Pokemon Center, ready to rest for the conference announcements coming directly in the morning.

* * *

**Morning**

Yawning and quickly avoiding from accidentally shoving Sapphire who was present on the other side of the bed, Ash went into the shower, did his normal morning routines, before grabbing his gear and leaving the room after Sapphire had washed up and Pikachu had leaped on his shoulder.

Entering the cafeteria, the trio quickly made it to the breakfast table where Dawn, Gary, Brock, Delia, and Professor Oak were present, having already left a plate of breakfast for them.

"I'll make sure to cheer extra hard, Ash!" Dawn chirped as the two sat down, showing them a bag, which most likely had her cheerleader outfit and pom poms inside it. Actually, there were two cheerleader outfits with two sets of pom poms in there because Sapphire would be doing it as well, but Ash didn't know that.

"So will we Ash!" Delia exclaimed, picking up a flag that had the word KETCHUM on it. Oak had one also, as well as Brock and Gary.

"That's right my boy," Oak agreed, setting his flag aside. "I heard that Tracey has rounded up everyone from Pallet Town to watch the Conference on our big flat screen TV, so just know that all of Pallet is supporting you Ash." Feeling a boost of pride and joy fill him, Ash gave the pokemon professor an energetic nod.

"You got it Professor! I'll show all of Pallet just how much this immature stubborn trainer has grown!" The proud Pallet Town native declared, raising a fist into the air.

"That's the spirit Ash! But you may want to eat your food," Oak stated, as Ash lowered his fist and looked at his slowly cooling food.

Laughing sheepishly, the raven haired teen picked up his fork. "Yeah, I probably should." Everyone laughed at that, before digging in as well.

* * *

"Will all pokemon trainers competing in the Lily of the Valley Conference please report to the main stadium for announcements!" Nurse Joy exclaimed through the mic on her desk. "I repeat, will all pokemon trainers competing in the Lily of the Valley Conference please report to the main stadium for announcements!"

"Well, that's my cue," Ash said, grabbing his stuff and rising up out of his seat. After sharing a kiss with both Dawn and Sapphire, plus a monster hug from his mother and dearest advice and support from the three other males, Ash was on his way, with all of his pokemon with him besides Latias, and Pikachu who was on his shoulder.

* * *

Making his way inside, Ash was momentarily in awe at seeing the utterly giant size of the stadium. The seats spread across farther than his eyes could see, stretching all around the stadium in a giant oval like shape. Trainers stood everywhere, waiting patiently, or some impatiently for Mr. Goodshow and Cynthia with her Elite Four to appear at the center stage to begin the announcements.

Walking into the giant huddle of trainers, Ash spotted many trainers he had known in the past, like Nando, Conway, Barry, and finally Paul. The purple haired teen noticed his glance, returning it for a second before looking away.

Bianca was there as well, but she had already made her way to him. Stopping next to the raven haired teen, she first waved.

Waving back, Ash chuckled. "Are you ready Bianca?" The raven haired teen asked with a competitive smirk.

Matching the boy's smirk, the blonde nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be! I hope to see you in the finals, Ash!" She stuck out her hand, prompting Ash to take out his own and exchange a firm handshake.

"You bet! Just make sure you don't get set with me before then!" The raven haired teen exclaimed with a grin.

Bianca nodded, matching his grin as everything quieted down. The lights of the stadium turned off, as one spotlight was aimed at the rather short Mr. Charles Goodshow, President of the Pokemon League, Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, and her Elite Four, consisting of the Bug Type Specialist Aaron, Ground Type Specialist Bertha, Fire Type Specialist Flint, and Psychic Type Specialist Lucian.

Clearing his throat, Goodshow began his speech. "Attention trainers! I hope you have all had a very productive month because now, it's time for the Sinnoh League, better known as The Lily of the Valley Conference!" Cheers were heard, as everyone was excited for the conference to finally start, especially Ash.

Raising a hand for the crowd of trainers to quiet down, Goodshow began to speak once more. "This year's conference will be hosting 128 trainers, with each trainer facing one another in one on one battles today. Tomorrow, the 64 winners of those matches will face off against one another in double battles, the winners advancing to the Victory Tournament. The next day, the remaining 32 will face off in 6 on 6 battles, and the battles will continue as such daily until there is only one trainer left. The winner of the Lily of the Valley Conference will not only receive this beautiful trophy," Cynthia held up the trophy, earning oohs and aahs from the crowd of trainers. "But will also get the chance to take on the Sinnoh Elite Four!" Many people already knew this, but the crowd cheered anyway.

Waiting once more for the crowd to quiet down, Goodshow signaled to Cynthia.

"Trainers!" The Sinnoh Champion began, gaining everyone's attention. "Don't feel deterred because the stakes are high, do your best in every way! I know that only one of you can get the chance to challenge the Elite Four, but don't feel pressured. Stay calm, and try your hardest!" Many trainers who were indeed feeling somewhat intimidated calmed down at her words, knowing that it would only get easier if they stayed calm and tried their best.

"Thank you for the encouragement, Cynthia," Goodshow said, before looking back at the crowd. "The match ups will be posted on the screen behind us, so find your opponent with your match time and battle to your hardest, as Cynthia said! The first match will begin in exactly an hour at 10 sharp! That is all! Make sure to be at your match 5-10 minutes before it begins! Good luck to everyone!" As that was said, the screen behind Goodshow came to life, producing all the match ups for the first day of the Lily of the Valley Conference. All of the trainers swarmed the screen, keen on seeing who they would be facing first round.

Ash made his way to the screen, looking eagerly for his opponent. He noticed Conway, Nando, Paul, Barry, and Bianca all got set up with unknown trainers, much to his relief, as he really wouldn't enjoy battling one of his rivals in only a one on one battle. When he found his name, he discovered that just like the others, he was also set up with an unknown trainer, known as Cody. Checking his battle time, 4 pm, he had some time to research Cody.

* * *

After bidding a farewell to Bianca as her match was at 12, Ash reentered the Pokemon Center, keen on finding a computer. His groups of friends and mother had already gone to the stadium, stating they wanted to watch the whole thing. Ash was fine with that, as he would be rather unresponsive at this time anyway.

"There must be one somewhere..." The raven haired teen mused, looking around thoroughly.

"Need some help Ash?" A voice asked out of the blue, scaring the boy out of his wits.

"Ah!" Ash yelped in surprise, turning to the voice of the person, coming face to face with the sweet Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy! You scared me out of my skin!" Nurse Joy laughed sheepishly at that statement.

"Sorry about that. You seem to be searching for something, what is it?" The pink haired nurse questioned, as Ash calmed down from that near heart attack.

"I'm looking for a computer," Ash replied, continuing to look around.

"Oh!" Nurse Joy realized, pointing straight ahead. "Right down that hall are the computers. You can't miss it."

Nodding in gratitude, Ash took off. "Thanks Nurse Joy!" Although almost tripping, the raven haired teen continued to sprint to the computers.

"No problem Ash!" Nurse Joy yelled back, giggling as she went back to her desk.

* * *

"Alright, let's see what we can find out about this dude Cody, huh Pikachu?" Ash said as the computer's browser opened to the Lily of the Valley Conference homepage.

"Pika!" The electric mouse replied, having been rather silent as he was awaiting the Conference. Yesterday night, Ash had told all of his pokemon that he would use all of them at least once if he could, as he would need to make it to at least Top 16 to complete that promise. Although, Mewtwo and Latias were an exception unless needed desperately.

Ash clicked on the trainer section, looking for Cody by letter name. "Hmm... Celina, Cici, Coco, Cody! There we go!"

The Pallet Town native selected the trainer's name, bringing up Cody's trainer card. The trainer known as Cody had short, auburn hair that was slicked back. He had bright green eyes with a confident smile. Looking at Cody's pokemon, Ash was very impressed. The auburn haired teen was from Johto, his hometown being Violet City. His main pokemon was his Meganium, most likely his starter, with four other pokemon listed; Weavile, Hitmontop, Noctowl, and Rypherior.

"I feel like he'll go for Meganium because it's his starter, but I'm not sure," Ash pondered, thinking of who to use.

"What do you think Pikachu?" The raven haired teen asked his loyal starter, who put on a face of deep thought.

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed to himself, making Ash laugh. "I don't know about that Pikachu, don't you wanna battle in a 6 on 6?"

The mouse realized he had not thought this through. If he went now, he wouldn't be used for a while as Ash wanted everyone to battle.

"P-Pi Pika Pi!" Shaking his head vigorously, Pikachu immediately changed his mind.

"That's what I thought," Ash said with a chuckle, petting the mouse's head.

"Well, since you aren't going, who should I use?" The raven haired teen asked once again, tapping his fingers on the computer mouse.

Pikachu shrugged, not having a clue. Ash felt one of his poke balls begin to shake, letting itself out.

The pokemon cried out and pointed to itself, widening Ash's eyes.

"Are you sure?" Ash questioned the pokemon with a raised eyebrow. The pokemon gave it's trainer a determined nod, before going back into it's ball.

"Well, I guess we're done?" The Pallet Town native stated somewhat hesitantly, as that was rather unexpected. Looking at the time, it was only 11:40. That gave Ash an idea.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't we go watch Bianca's match?" The raven haired teen suggested, getting a cheerful cry from the electric mouse.

* * *

"The next battle is about to begin!" The announcer exclaimed as Ash found a seat. "On the red corner we have Dan from Hearthome City!" Dan received a good amount of cheers, arriving at his corner with mild arrogance. He had green hair that was combed to the side, a red vest over a green short sleeved shirt, black shorts, and to top it all off a red scarf. "And on the green corner we have a trainer who has traveled far from Unova, Bianca of Nuvema Town!" Bianca received about the same amount of cheers, as people were very excited to see a foreign trainer.

"Go Bianca!" Ash yelled in support, gaining the blonde's attention. She was mildly surprised to see Ash here, but still gave him a determined smile and a wink. Turning back to her opponent, she noticed him smirking.

"What's with the smirk?" Bianca asked her opponent, getting a shrug in response from Dan.

"I'm just excited I'll be beating a foreigner," The green haired trainer responded with a smug grin. The blonde scowled at him, not liking to be underestimated.

"Think how you like, but don't think I'll go down that easy," Bianca spat back, taking out her poke ball. Dan merely chuckled and took out his own, waiting for the referee to call the match.

"This is a one on one battle! Each trainer may only use one pokemon! When one pokemon on either side is unable to battle, the winner is decided! Each trainer will release their pokemon simultaneously!" The referee declared, raising up two flags.

Both trainers enlarged their poke balls, throwing them simultaneously into the air.

"Cinccino! I need you!" Cinccino appeared with a small smile, making the crowd watching 'aww' at his cuteness.

"Let's show'em Golem!" The bulky dual rock ground type appeared with a roar, showing it's dominance.

"Interesting," Ash mused to Pikachu, unable to scan Bianca's pokemon because it was from Unova.

"Dan has the first move! Golem versus Cinccino begin!" The referee stated, throwing down his flags.

"Perfect! Golem start this off with a Rollout!" Dan exclaimed. Golem followed orders smoothly, rolling up into a ball and going straight for Cinccino.

Waiting until Golem got close, Bianca made her move. "Substitute!" Cinccino made a mirror image of himself, while he himself disappeared. Golem rolled straight through the mirror image, breaking it.

"Where did he go?" Dan questioned, as his was Golem equally confused.

"Now Cinccino!" Bianca exclaimed. The small furry pokemon burst out of the ground, using a super effective Dig. Golem was caught totally off guard, as was Dan, giving Bianca a chance to capitalize once more. "Since they're distracted use Sing!"

"Cin-cci-no, Cin-cci-no, Cin-cci-no..." Cinccino sang, effectively putting the giant beast to sleep.

"Oh no! Golem you have to wake up!" The green haired trainer exclaimed in anguish. Bianca smiled, her plan working perfectly.

"Since Golem is unresponsive, use a barrage of Bullet Seed, Dig, and Aqua Tail!" The blonde commanded, shocking the crowd of how much that would damage Golem.

"Oh my..." Ash commented in intense shock, not expecting the bright and cheerful Bianca to be so brutal in battle.

"Pika..." Pikachu agreed, also in utter disbelief.

Cinccino nodded with a slightly scary expression, hitting Golem with a Bullet Seed, an Aqua Tail, then using Dig to go underground and hitting the rock beast again, before repeating the process.

Seeing that he had no other choice as Golem would not wake up anytime soon, Dan knew what he had to do.

"I forfeit!" The green haired trainer exclaimed, making Cinccino stop, who had just struck Golem with another Aqua Tail.

"Dan has forfeited! Which means the match goes to Bianca and Cinccino!" The referee announced, as the crowd cheered for the happy blonde. The giant screen lit up, showing Dan and Bianca's pictures, before Dan's broke off, leaving only Bianca's picture with the word WINNER above it.

Bianca walked up to Dan, who was feeding a Chesto Berry to Golem. He looked over at her when he heard her footsteps, before bowing his head.

"I'm sorry for underestimating you," Dan admitted solemnly, rubbing Golem's head softly. Bianca smiled, knowing her opponent had learned his lesson.

"All is forgiven," The blonde replied, giving Dan a hand to stand up. "Just remember to never underestimate your opponents, as you never know what they have up their sleeve."

The green haired trainer nodded. "Yeah, I'll remember that. Good luck in the rest of the conference!" Dan walked off the field after that, as his time at the Sinnoh League was done.

Bianca walked off as well, before coming face to face with Ash.

"Bianca! That was amazing!" Ash praised, clapping her on the back. "I can't believe how you just totally had him from the first move!"

The blonde smiled bashfully, nodding. "Thanks Ash, it means a lot coming from you. He was underestimating me and ended up paying for it."

The two walked outside of the stadium together, discussing various things.

* * *

"On the red corner we have Cody from Violet City!" Cody waltzed in with a hint of grace, waving humbly to the cheering crowd. He wore a black dress shirt, with red bracelets on each wrist. He also had on red dress pants with black tap shoes. To top it all off was a red tie. "And on the green corner we have a very seasonal trainer, coming all the way from the Kanto Region, Ash of Pallet Town!"

**PALLET TOWN:**

"Guys! He's on!" Tracey exclaimed, gaining everyone's attention to the screen. Ash's pokemon, Pallet residents and neighbors, and even Misty were watching intently, ready to cheer on their favorite trainer.

**BACK TO THE CONFERENCE:**

As he made his way inside, Ash was incredibly shocked to find out that the crowd loved him. He began to hear a cheer of "ASH! ASH! ASH!", which he suspected to be started by Dawn. Looking to his left, he saw Bianca, his group of friends and mother, before his eyes widened. Brock, his mother Delia, Oak and Gary all had flags, which was expected, but what he didn't expect was for Sapphire to dress up as a cheerleader like Dawn and cheer for him as well.

'She's so beautiful. Both of them,' The teen said to himself in awe, having never expected to see this.

Sapphire and Dawn both noticed him staring at them in a dreamy way, making them blushed furiously. Shaking his head and laughing nervously as he was caught, Ash put his attention to his opponent, trying his best to not appear flustered.

"I've heard of you, Ash," Cody remarked right off the bat, catching Ash off guard.

"You have?" The Pallet Town native questioned, getting a nod from the nicely dressed teen.

"That's right," The auburn haired teen replied. "You made headlines in Johto many times a couple years back. But don't think I'll let you win because you did good things for my home region."

Ash smirked with a confident nod. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

The referee made his way to the center, raising two flags into the air. "This is a one on one battle! Each trainer may only use one pokemon! When one pokemon on either side is unable to battle, the winner is decided! Each trainer will release their pokemon simultaneously!"

Enlarging the poke ball of the pokemon who volunteered to battle, Ash launched the capsule into the air, simultaneously to his opponent.

"Grace, Weavile!" Weavile, more than likely a female from the flower in her ear, appeared with a smile.

"Let's go! Heracross!"

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Like I said, the conference won't be the same if you've watched it in the anime.**

**Now that I'm a beta reader, I will be accepting any requests you all may have.**

**That's all I've got to say, thanks for reading!**


	14. Cooperation is Key

**Hello all! Jay1414 back with another wonderful chapter to my story!**

**We've surpassed 100 favorites for this story, which is so amazing to me because I never expected my story to be this popular. Sure, it's not one of the most popular, but I'm just glad people actually like my story and give me feedback, it's all I can ask for.**

**Even though I don't get many reviews every chapter, I'm happy that some of you review, so keep at it!**

**Well anyways, the conferences continues, so enjoy the chapter!**

"Dialogue"

'thoughts'

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

"_Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

******Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_As he made his way inside, Ash was incredibly shocked to find out that the crowd loved him. He began to hear a cheer of "ASH! ASH! ASH!", which he suspected to be started by Dawn. Looking to his left, he saw Bianca, his group of friends and mother, before his eyes widened. Brock, his mother Delia, Oak and Gary all had flags, which was expected, but what he didn't expect was for Sapphire to dress up as a cheerleader like Dawn and cheer for him as well._

_'She's so beautiful. Both of them,' The teen said to himself in awe, having never expected to see this._

_Sapphire and Dawn both noticed him staring at them in a dreamy way, making them blushed furiously. Shaking his head and laughing nervously as he was caught, Ash put his attention to his opponent, trying his best to not appear flustered._

_"I've heard of you, Ash," Cody remarked right off the bat, catching Ash off guard._

_"You have?" The Pallet Town native questioned, getting a nod from the nicely dressed teen._

_"That's right," The auburn haired teen replied. "You made headlines in Johto many times a couple years back. But don't think I'll let you win because you did good things for my home region."_

_Ash smirked with a confident nod. "I wouldn't want it any other way."_

_The referee made his way to the center, raising two flags into the air. "This is a one on one battle! Each trainer may only use one pokemon! When one pokemon on either side is unable to battle, the winner is decided! Each trainer will release their pokemon simultaneously!"_

_Enlarging the poke ball of the pokemon who volunteered to battle, Ash launched the capsule into the air, simultaneously to his opponent._

_"Grace, Weavile!" Weavile, more than likely a female from the flower in her ear, appeared with a smile._

_"Let's go! Heracross!"_

* * *

**Chapter 14: Cooperation is Key!**

Heracross appeared on the field, giving out a battle cry. Locking eyes with his opponent, he nodded his respects. The Weavile nodded back, feeling the pure power from this pokemon.

"A Heracross, interesting," Cody mused aloud, knowing full well that he had a double type disadvantage.

"Heh, yeah," Ash stated with a rub of his head. "Heracross really wanted to battle, so I let him."

"Fair enough," The auburn haired trainer replied, waiting for the referee to call the match.

"Cody has the first move! Weavile versus Heracross begin!" The referee announced, throwing down the two colored flags in his hands.

"Weavile, start this off with Hone Claws!" Cody shouted, wanting to get in a power boost. Weavile nodded, putting pressure into her claws, gaining a power boost as well as an accuracy boost.

"Since they're going for a power boost, so can we! Heracross use Bulk Up!" Ash exclaimed. Heracross quickly flexed all of his muscles, gaining a power boost and also a defense boost.

"Now that you're powered up, go in for Night Slash!" The agile ice type reacted immediately, using her superior speed to quickly close the distance between her and her opponent.

"Duck and Roll Heracross!" The raven haired teen called out as soon as Weavile followed Cody's command.

"Hera!" The bug fighting type exclaimed in agreement, waiting for the perfect moment to dodge and weave.

"Weavile!" The ice dark type cried, throwing out her claw, which was encased in dark energy. The bug type ducked under her claw, before rolling out of the way of the second strike.

"Nice evasion, but don't think that'll win you the match," Cody commented, watching Heracross roll back to his feet.

"I don't plan on it!" Ash replied, turning his attention back to Heracross. "Go for another Bulk Up!" Ash knew that going head on could cause for some unnecessary damage.

"Don't let Heracross get any stronger! Ice Punch!" The auburn haired trainer retaliated, knowing that a double Bulk Up could end the match immediately. The dual ice dark type quickly followed orders, smoothly striking Heracross' cheek.

"Cross!" Heracross cringed, feeling the icy fist chill his jaw. Reeling back, the dual bug fighting type shook his head, gaining a look of determination.

Ash smirked, confusing Cody, although he didn't comment on it. Heracross grew a smirk as well, ready to let Weavile taste his pain from that Ice Punch.

"Bulk Up one more time!" The Pallet Town native called out once again, prompting Cody to shake his head.

"I thought you were better than that Ash. Ice Punch again!" Weavile came after Heracross once more, confused as to why the bug was smirking.

"Now Heracross! Take the attack and use Reversal!" The raven haired teen ordered with a smirk, as both Weavile and Cody widened their eyes.

"No! Weavile stop the attack!" The auburn haired trainer tried to stop the attack, although it was too late. Weavile was already mid punch, hitting the Ice Punch when Heracross didn't move.

"CROSS!" The dual bug fighting type shouted in triumph, hitting the dual ice and dark type roughly in the stomach with a fist encased in dark red energy.

"Vile!" Weavile screeched in pain from the double super effective attack, hitting the ground quickly as her eyes became swirls. "Weavile..."

"Weavile is unable to battle! Heracross is the winner! That means that this battle goes to Ash!" The referee declared, pointing his green flag to Ash.

"Alright! We did it Heracross!" The raven haired teen exclaimed in glee, running up and hugging the bug, who began to playfully suck his head.

"ASH! ASH! ASH!" The crowd chanted, lead by Dawn.

Ash smiled, waving at the people chanting. Even though he was incredibly happy he had won, the Pallet Town native knew that it would only get harder from here. He noticed Cody start to walk to him, having already returned Weavile.

"I must congratulate you, Ash. Not only did you bait out my Weavile by powering up with Bulk Up, you also knew that Bulk Up also boosts defense, letting Heracross take two of Weavile's boosted Ice Punch attacks, which let Heracross pay Weavile back with a powerful double super effective Reversal," Cody admitted, truly impressed by his opponent's strategy.

"Thanks, we've been training hard," Ash replied humbly, taking out his hand. Cody caught on, taking out his own.

After they shook hands, the auburn haired trainer gave a small wave while walking off the field. "Good luck Ash, since you were the one to beat me, you need to win it all!"

"I'll try my best!" The raven haired teen shouted back to the receding figure of Cody. Turning back to Heracross, he rubbed the bug type's horn.

"Great job Heracross! Return!" Returning the dual bug fighting type, the raven haired trainer walked off the field as well, his friends meeting him off the field.

"What a brilliant strategy! You didn't even need to play head on and you decimated Weavile!" Bianca complimented right off the bat.

"I agree! You not only baited out Weavile, you were even able to boost up Heracross and retaliate with a double super effective move! Incredible!" Oak exclaimed, with Gary and Delia next to him nodding.

"Definitely vintage, Ash. An unorthodox, out of the box strategy, which worked perfectly!" Brock commended, patting his friend's back.

"We already knew you'd do great, but awesome job Ash!" Dawn said next, pushing up her pom poms with Sapphire doing the same thing.

"Heh, well thanks guys," Ash said with a rub of his head, laughing sheepishly.

"Since neither of you have battles until tomorrow, how about we go out to eat?" Delia suggested, getting an energetic nod from Ash.

"Yeah! I'm starving!" The raven haired teen replied with a grin, making everyone present laugh.

* * *

**Tomorrow Morning**

"Welcome back trainers!" Goodshow exclaimed, getting almost as much cheers as yesterday. "Today, you remaining trainers will battle one another in a double battle!" Many people already knew that, although they did not expect what Goodshow was about to add.

"Although, now you have to partner up with another trainer, and use three pokemon instead of two, since you have such a big leap from this round to next round in terms of how many pokemon to use to battle!" Goodshow added, laughing to himself at the reactions from the trainers. He really liked to add secret stipulations, adding some fire to the conference.

Raising a hand to calm the crowd down, Goodshow began to speak once more. "Since now it is going to be two trainers on two, both trainers of the losing team will be eliminated!" That shut everyone up, meaning that if one trainer messed up, both would be eliminated.

"There will be 32 teams, meaning that 16 of those teams, or 32 trainers, will be eliminated. The teams will be posted on the giant screen behind me. The first match will begin in two hours, find your teammates and make up strategies! That is all! Good luck!"

Ash sighed, not really liking the stipulation added. Shaking his head, the raven haired teen knew there was nothing he could do about it. Approaching the screen, he found his name, partnered up with some trainer named Paul. Wait, PAUL?! Sure enough, even though the screen was somewhat far away, Ash knew that purple hair all too well.

'You have got to be fucking kidding me.' He thought about when they had to partner up for the Hearthome City Tag Team Tournament, which they ended up winning.

"Of course, I have to be paired up with you all of people," A voice behind him said, breaking the raven haired teen out of his thoughts. Turning around, Ash came face to face with the one person who he wanted to defeat more than anything in the world right now.

"Paul," Ash spat with a scowl, crossing his arms.

"Ketchum," Paul replied with an equal scowl. Paul had decimated his opponent yesterday in his match, beating the trainer's Serviper in five moves with his Ursaring.

"I know you don't like me, and neither do I, but we have to work together if we want to pass to the next round," Ash said right off the bat, his voice becoming quite condescending.

"Fair enough. I'm still anxious to when I get the chance to knock you out of the conference," The purple haired trainer responded, his voice equally condescending.

"Don't count on it," Ash spat back. "Let's not talk any trash until we actually get to battle."

Paul merely shrugged with a slight chuckle, irking the other trainer.

"What's so funny Paul?!" Ash questioned with a scowl, his voice becoming slightly higher pitched.

"Oh, nothing. Just meet me outside the Pokemon Center in two hours. Our match isn't until 6 in the afternoon," Paul told the Pallet Town native, before walking away.

Clenching his fist, the raven haired teen growled. "That Paul! He won't know what hit him!" Stomping away, Ash almost barreled through Bianca.

"Woah woah! What's got you so angry Ash?" The blonde haired teen asked, stopping the somewhat rampaging teen.

"Don't worry about it, just the fact that my partner for this round is my rival is all," Ash replied, clenching and unclenching his fists to calm down.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, you just need to calm down," Bianca told him in a sharp tone, patting his shoulders.

The Pallet Town native sighed, knowing he was overreacting. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Bianca smiled at him sweetly. "It's fine, just settle down."

"Say, who's your partner?" Ash wondered, getting a gesture to his left. Looking to his left, Ash's eyes widened as he realized who this was.

"Barry?" Hearing his name called, Barry turned to Ash. "Hey Ash! You know this girl?" Barry had won his match with his powerful Hitmonlee defeating an agile Gallade.

Ash nodded. "That's right! She's my friend Bianca who I met last month!"

Now that he realized it, Ash noticed that Barry and Bianca were rather similar. They both had insane endurance, both had a tendency to bump into him, and they both were very quick on their feet. Not only that, they were both blondes and their names both started with B.

Shaking those thoughts away as that was preposterous, Ash smiled at the two blondes.

"Well, I'm sure you two will do great. Unfortunately for me Barry, I'm partnered up with Paul." The Twinleaf Town native frowned at that, wondering just what his ex-idol had planned. He had witnessed Paul's match, and visibly cringed when the opponent's Serviper poisoned Ursaring, activating the ability Guts and letting Paul utterly destroy his opponent.

"Well, you both are good trainers, I don't think you'll have any trouble," Barry replied with a shrug.

Ash shrugged back. "I hope so, 'cause it would really suck if we ended up losing."

"Say, how about we go to the Pokemon Center to chill out for a little? Barry and I don't have our match until 3," Bianca suggested, getting nods from the two other teens.

"Yeah, sounds great!" Ash agreed, putting his hands behind his head. "Mine isn't until 6, and I've got to meet Paul in two hours but I have time."

The three trainers walked along, keen on going to the Pokemon Center to relax before it was time to create strategies, Ash more than the other two.

* * *

The Pallet Town native sighed, looking at the time on his Pokedex. Two hours seemed to pass in mere seconds, as now it was indeed time to meet up with Paul. After biding a farewell to Bianca and Barry, the raven haired teen made his way to the outside of the Pokemon Center. The heat wasn't unbearable, but it was still incredibly warm.

Shrugging it off, Ash looked to both sides of himself, trying to find Paul. Finding the trainer, the raven haired teen made a slow approach to him.

Like expected, Paul was outside leaning against the far left wall of the Pokemon Center. The Veilstone City native looked up when he heard footsteps approaching, sighing when realizing it was only Ketchum.

Pushing off the wall, the purple haired trainer began to walk silently. Hearing no footsteps following him, Paul stopped, not turning around.

"Aren't you coming?" The Veilstone City native asked, before beginning to walk once more. Ash followed him this time, not saying a word in response.

The walk was rather long, but neither of them complained. Like as if they were playing the silent game, neither of them spoke a word. Not even Pikachu on Ash's shoulder uttered a single 'pika'.

The hot grass didn't seem to bother any of them, and if it did, it was ignored, as now was not the time to complain about the weather.

* * *

After a short while, Paul stopped once more. Ash looked around, examining where they were. They were at a forest, although not the forest that Ash would usually meet with Mewtwo at. No, this was no forest. This was a death zone. Boulders were scattered everywhere, some broken, some shattered. Hollow tree trunks littered around Ash's feet with the branches seemingly burned off. Any life that seemed to be in this forest must have migrated long before Paul came around. Like a haunted house, this place was deserted.

"Welcome to my training spot. Make yourself at home," Paul said with a small smirk, going inside some sort of shack that was near the empty forest.

"I'm assuming you're getting your pokemon?" Ash questioned, getting a mere grunt in response, which he assumed meant yes.

The raven haired teen sat on a tree trunk, remembering who he decided to send out. He needed three pokemon, but it depended who Paul brought out.

"Alright, so even though they might not match with Paul's-"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" The purple haired trainer asked as he came out of the shack, with three shrunken poke balls present in his hand.

"Why do you care?" Ash replied back, getting a shrug in response. Paul released his three pokemon silently, letting Ash guess who was to appear out of each of those capsules.

'Ninjask, Honchkrow, and Electivire,' Ash said to himself as the three pokemon came out in three individual bursts of bright light.

Immediately, Ash noticed something the three had in common. "You picked two flying types, and an electric type?"

"The typing doesn't matter, it's the strategy," Paul replied, looking at Ash expectantly. "Now release your pokemon."

Grabbing the three poke balls, he had chosen, Ash released them quickly.

Paul had a straight face as he looked at the three pokemon, who visibly flinched at seeing him, knowing all too well who Paul was.

"Interesting," The Veilstone City native mused. "Butterfree, Gliscor, and Floatzel."

"That's right," Ash confirmed. "These three pokemon play very important roles in battle. Butterfree is good for statusing, as in poisoning, putting the pokemon to sleep, paralyzing, healing, and he is also good at dealing quick damage. Gliscor here excels in protection, power, and overall high defense. Floatzel specializes in using speed, with Agility plus Swift Swim and Rain Dance, and dealing heavy quick damage."

Paul wouldn't admit it, but he was surprised at how much Ash had thought this out. Normally, he'd only do things in the heat of the battle, not even thinking of a strategy.

"Well, Ninjask has superiority in using his high speed stat to deal quick damage, and to use Protect with Substitute to make him utterly untouchable, plus Safeguard in order to stop opponents from statusing him. Honchkrow has high attack plus the ability Super Luck, meaning every time he hits an attack, the attack has a higher chance of hitting a critical hit than normal. Electivire has great speed plus the ability Motor Drive, being a complete electric type generator, and he has heavy attack to deal out damage with decent defense to take damage as well."

Soon enough, the two began to discuss strategies, and battle plans.

* * *

"Protect!" Ash called out. Gliscor quickly jumped in front of Honchkrow, making a giant green shield block both of them. Ursaring bounced off, reeling slightly.

"That's enough," Paul stated, looking at the time. "The match is coming up in about half an hour. We have to get going."

Ash agreed, returning his pokemon simultaneously to Paul.

They began to walk out of Paul's training zone, keen on making it to the stadium on time.

* * *

"The next battle is about to begin!" The announcer exclaimed, effectively riling up the noticeably bigger crowd than yesterday.

"On the red corner, we have Paul from Veilstone City!" Paul entered the field silently, not giving a second's glance to the cheering crowd. 'Why are they cheering for me?' The purple haired trainer thought to himself, having done nothing that was really that amazing in his first match. His opponent had simply been foolish, obviously not realizing that he had messed up and had given Paul the win with open hands.

Standing at his spot on the field, Paul merely looked straightforward, as he was the first one announced to the battlefield.

"And his partner, Ash from Pallet Town!" The Veilstone City native watched his annoying rival come onto the stage, waving gleefully to the crowd. 'He acts like he's on a TV Show, not a real life battle.'

"ASH! ASH! ASH!" Paul didn't say a word when Ash made it to the battlefield, neither did the Pallet Town native.

"And on the green corner, we have Jennifer from Mauville City!" A beautiful raven haired teen came onto the field, a giant smile on her face. She had long, dark colored hair that reached to the middle of her back, and bright ruby eyes with a dimple on the both of her cheeks. Her outfit consisted of a blue tank top under a black tee shirt that showed her midriff, black jean shorts with black stockings blue sneakers, and to top it all off a blue and black visor.

Taking her spot in front of the two boys, Jennifer winked with a wave. "So nice to face two extremely handsome teens!"

Ash and Paul both blushed furiously, as this was a very attractive female. Ash laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"T-Thanks! I hope we have a good battle!" The raven haired teen replied half gratefully and half nervously, feeling the eyes of the two females he held dearest besides his mother burn into his head.

Paul merely stayed silent, as this was the first time he had ever experienced something like this.

"That little b-" Dawn was immediately restrained by Sapphire, not wanting the blue haired girl to make a fool of out herself and start a fight.

"L-Let me go Sapphire!" The blue haired teen whined, only for the blonde to hold on to her tighter, attracting the three trainer's attention.

Ash, Paul and Jennifer all watched with a sweat drop as Dawn flailed around.

* * *

After Dawn calmed down and everyone's attention went back to the announcer, Jennifer's partner came onto the field, a trainer named Autumn, her hometown being Celadon City. She had fiery red hair, reminding Ash of Misty, with hazel eyes, freckles and pale skin. Her outfit consisted of a plaid short sleeved shirt, a dark red plaid skirt, black dress shoes, and a tiny red rose in her left ear.

"This is a six on six battle with each trainer using three pokemon! When all 6 pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the winner is decided! Everyone must release their pokemon simultaneously!"

Ash and Paul nodded to each other, as did Jennifer and Autumn.

"Butterfree! I choose you!" Butterfree appeared floating above everyone else, chatting softly.

"Electivire! Stand by!" The electric type appeared right next to his bug type teammate, a confident smirk on his face.

"Come on! Glaceon!" Glaceon appeared in a flash of light, a gentle smile on her face.

"Vileplume! Battle time!" The dual grass poison type was released adjacent to the ice type eeveelution, spewing out a blissful scent into the air when appearing on the battlefield.

"Jennifer and Autumn have the first move! Begin!" The referee exclaimed, throwing down his flags,

"Glaceon use Hail!" Jennifer commanded right off the bat.

"Vileplume use Safeguard!" Autumn said next, immediately making a disadvantage for Ash and Paul.

Glaceon quickly obeyed, spewing an icy ball of wind into the sky, causing ice balls to rain down hard. Vileplume surrounded itself and Glaceon in a thick white shield, preventing them from being statused.

'Shit,' Ash said to himself. 'Butterfree's status moves are useless until we get rid of that Vileplume.'

"Butterfree! Whirlwind that Vileplume!" Ash commanded, making a gesture of distance with his arm.

Paul mentally nodded, knowing what Ash was going for. "Electivire! Set up a Light Screen!"

The dual bug flying quickly sent a powerful gust of wind at Vileplume, sending the grass poison type flying. The electric type put up a giant screen in front of both him and his bug type teammate, letting them take only half damage from powerful special attacks.

"Glaceon come straight in with an Ice Beam on that Butterfree!" Jennifer ordered, knowing the attack wouldn't be as powerful as it should.

"Intercept with a Fire Punch!" Paul retaliated, catching the other trainer off guard.

Glaceon was about to fire the attack at Butterfree, only to be catapulted into the sky by Electivire with a super effective Fire Punch.

"Don't relent Electivire! Grab Glaceon with your tails and use Thunder!" The Veilstone City native continued, not wanting to give Jennifer a second to breathe.

Meanwhile...

"Vileplume!" Autumn exclaimed as the grass poison type rose off the ground. "Now that Butterfree's close use Vine Whip to grab him!"

"I don't think so!" Ash called back. "Butterfree dodge those vines then use Aerial Ace!"

Vileplume tried it's best to snatch Butterfree out of the sky, only for the dual bug flying type to weave and swerve around the vines, before swooping in and striking the grass poison type quickly and effectively.

"Plume!" Vileplume cried in pain, hitting the ground once more, right in front of her worried trainer.

Jennifer growled, as she wanted to help her partner but couldn't because Electivire was too powerful to put down.

"Glaceon, use a downwards Ice Beam to get out of Electivire's grasp then use Wish!" The raven haired female exclaimed.

"Gla!" The ice type quickly performed what she was told, chilling the electric type's arms to get released, before releasing a shiny star above herself.

'I have to prevent Glaceon from getting that Wish,' Paul said to himself, looking over to see Ash making quick work of his opponent.

"Electivire use Fire Punch to get Glaceon away from that Wish to take it yourself!" Electivire felt a smirk make it's way on to his face, as even though he took no damage, he was going to heal himself anyway.

"Glaceon use Protect!" The ice type quickly shielded herself, causing Electivire to bounce off as the Wish landed on Glaceon, healing her completely.

'Fuck,' Paul cursed to himself, knowing that he should have seen that coming. His attention went to Jennifer, when he noticed that she was giving him a small smile.

"What's with that look?" The purple haired trainer questioned, eyebrow raised.

His opponent merely giggled. "Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the battle is all."

Shrugging at that, Paul looked at their pokemon. Electivire was looking at him for instruction, while Glaceon was doing the same to her trainer.

"Well, let's continue. Electivire use Bulk Up!"

Meanwhile with Ash...

"Butterfree finish this! Use Quiver Dance!" Butterfree began to dance in a circle, boosting his special attack, special defense, and speed.

"Vileplume distance yourself with Petal Dance!" The red haired teen called out, knowing she was in a dire situation.

"V-Vile..." Vileplume rose off the ground, using a powerful array of sharp petals, blowing the dual bug flying type back.

"Butterfree, use your boosted speed to finish this Vileplume off with Aerial Ace!" Butterfree agreed, flying with his boosted speed to the grass poison type. Not giving Vileplume a chance to counter, the bug flying type quickly bolted straight through the grass poison type with his wings spread out, ending up right behind it.

"Plume!" The dual grass poison type cried in pain, falling back first on to the ground, it's eyes becoming swirls.

"Vileplume is unable to battle! Trainer please send out your second pokemon!"

Autumn sighed slightly, returning her pokemon with words of thanks. Vileplume wasn't an incredibly strong pokemon, she was mostly only using it to protect Glaceon from status. Taking out a way stronger pokemon in a shiny blue poke ball, the red haired female quickly released it.

"Kangaskhan! Battle time!" The normal type female only pokemon appeared in a flash of light, roaring in confidence.

'No way, a Kangaskhan!' Ash thought to himself in amazement, his eyes widening slightly.

**'Focus, Ash. You can marvel at her later,' **Mewtwo's voice played into the raven haired teen's mind. Shaking his head to snap himself back into the battle, Ash nodded.

"Butterfree use Roost!" Ash exclaimed, knowing fully well of Kangaskhan's power.

"Kangaskhan stop him with Fake Out!" With speed unheard of from such a giant pokemon, the powerful normal type quickly punched Butterfree with a glistening fist, pushing the bug type back.

"Free..." Butterfree growled as he flinched, unable to make a move because of Fake Out.

With Paul...

"Electivire use a ground Thunder!" No one really understood what he meant by that, until Electivire put his tails onto the battlefield floor and sent a Thunder on it, causing rocks and electricity to fly across the field, straight towards Glaceon.

"Protect!" Glaceon protected herself from some of the rocks, until the shield broke and she began to get pelted harshly and quickly. As if that wasn't painful enough, she began to get electrocuted to a crisp from Thunder, gradually decreasing her energy.

Seeing the danger her partner was in, Autumn sprung in to help. "Kangaskhan use Protect to block Glaceon!"

The female only normal type nodded, putting herself in front of Glaceon, a giant green shield protecting the two.

Ash came to help as well, knowing it would be pointless to just watch. "Butterfree use another Quiver Dance to power up!"

Paul smirked slightly with a silent chuckle, thankful for having one certain move on his Electivire."Brick Break."

Kangaskhan's eyes widened at hearing that, having no way of getting out of the super effective shield breaking attack.

"Vire!" The electric type exclaimed with a smug grin, sprinting around the debris and striking the shield with a fast chop, breaking the shield and also striking Kangaskhan in the stomach.

Unfortunately, Kangaskhan's baby was slightly grazed, causing her to stop and quickly check up on the child. Everyone else on the field stopped as well, as Kangaskhan needed to make sure her baby was alright.

Seeing that it's hand was slightly bruised, caused Kangaskhan to kiss it softly, before walking over to Autumn and handing the baby to her. Originally, Kangaskhan was going to make sure that her baby wouldn't be hurt, although she had never expected the Brick Break to hit directly in her stomach.

Getting back to the field, the normal type's eyes grew angry, staring with a growl at Electivire.

"Kangaskhan use Bulk Up!" Roaring, the female only normal type flexed her muscles, becoming surrounded in a red aura.

Autumn smirked softly, as did Jennifer as they both knew what was next to come.

"Outrage!" The red haired teen shouted, widening Ash and Paul's eyes.

"Ice Beam!" Jennifer exclaimed, gesturing to Butterfree who was distracted by the currently rampaging Kangaskhan.

"Gla!" The attack hit it's mark, knocking Butterfree down, breaking Ash out of his thoughts.

"Butterfree get away from Glaceon and use Roost!" The bug flying type quickly flew back to Ash, healing itself.

Back to Paul, the purple haired trainer waited, and waited, for the normal type to make her way to Electivire.

"ROAWR!" Kangaskhan roared, only a couple feet away from the electric type.

"Protect!" Paul called out immediately, hoping that Electivire had enough resistance.

"Vire!" Crossing his arms over his chest as a green shield went around him, Electivire grunted as he began to feel the normal type slash and strike at his shield. Growling as he noticed spider web cracks form in his shield, the electric type began to lose resistance.

"Keep the pressure!" Autumn encouraged, rubbing the baby's hand softly.

"VIRE!" Electivire howled in pain as his shield broke, letting him take the full pain from the powerful Outrage.

"Butterfree get behind Kangaskhan and use Sleep Powder!" Ash shouted, getting a gasp from Autumn.

'This is bad! Kangaskhan can't turn around from an Outrage attack!' The red haired trainer thought to herself, as worried as the baby was for it's dear mother.

Jennifer quickly reacted, not wanting to let Kangaskhan fall asleep. "Glaceon use Iron Tail to knock Butterfree away!"

"Oh no you don't! Butterfree, weave out of the way so Glaceon misses!" Butterfree effectively weaved out of the way, letting the ice type fling herself, only for her to crash tail first into the hard ground. Seeing his chance, the dual bug flying type quickly put the rampaging normal type to sleep with a strong white powder, letting Electivire get a chance to breathe.

"Paul finish her off!" The Pallet Town native shouted to his partner. Paul nodded, waiting for Electivire to rise off the ground. When he did, the purple haired trainer made his move.

"Use a boosted Brick Break!" The electric type growled in satisfaction, chopping the normal type powerfully on the head, making her groan in her sleep.

"One more!" Paul shouted. Repeating the process, the electric type once again chopped the normal type, ending her powerful reign.

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! Trainer send out your final pokemon!"

Jennifer growled, unable to do anything as Glaceon was still cringing from that painful fall.

Seeing that Safeguard had faded and Glaceon was grounded, Ash looked at his currently healing Butterfree. "Use Stun Spore on Glaceon!"

"Free!" Gleeful that he and Electivire took control, Butterfree let out yellow powder directly on top of the ice type eeveelution, paralyzing her.

"Time to end this! Butterfree, use a boosted Bug Buzz!" Ash exclaimed in triumph.

"Glaceon try your best to dodge!" Jennifer called out desperately. Glaceon tried her hardest to get up and move out of the way, only for the paralysis to kick in, keeping her in place.

"Butter...FREE!" Buzzing loudly, the dual bug flying type sent a powerful orb of bug type energy directly to the ice type, effectively knocking her down for good.

"Glaceon is unable to battle! Trainer send out your next pokemon!"

"Return Glaceon, thanks for the hard work!" Jennifer praised with a small smile, before taking out another capsule.

Autumn took out her last poke ball, her starter pokemon. The two females released their pokemon simultaneously, both pokemon appearing in front of them.

"Let's show 'em Flygon!" Flygon appeared floating in the air, a playful expression on his face.

"Charizard! Battle time!" Charizard roared as he formed in the air, shooting a Flamethrower into the sky, similar to Ash's Charizard.

Paul and Ash looked at each other, before nodding. Simultaneously returning both of their pokemon and taking out new ones, the two trainers let out two fresh pokemon.

"Honchkrow! Stand by!" The dual dark flying type appeared in the air, a mischievous expression on his face.

"Gliscor! Time to battle!" The ground flying type also appeared in the air, sticking it's tongue out with a small wink.

The four trainers looked at one another, all of them thinking one thing. 'Looks like we have ourselves a sky battle.'

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I don't have much to say about this chapter, just that obviously, things are different as Paul and Ash are not battling each other, but battling together. I think this works better than to have Ash team up with an OC, as it makes it harder to really make the battle more realistic and believable.**

**Oh, and before I forget, don't think that Paul and Ash are overpowered or anything, as both of them had Electivire and Butterfree power themselves up with Bulk Up and Quiver Dance multiple times, which is why their opponents seemed to get knocked out easily.**

**That's all for now, until next chapter, see ya!**


	15. The Drive to be the Best

**Hi, Jay1414 here with the newest chapter of my story, Reason.**

**Before I start, let me just say, holy moly I am hyped! The X and Y anime is coming up greatly(in my opinion) and there has been a release of future episode titles coming up soon in a couple months.**

**I am extremely excited based on each episode title, but I'll let you guys go find out for yourselves so I don't spoil anything.**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

"Dialogue"

'thoughts'

"**Mewtwo's speech"**

**'Mewtwo's thoughts'**

"_Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_"Time to end this! Butterfree, use a boosted Bug Buzz!" Ash exclaimed in triumph._

_"Glaceon try your best to dodge!" Jennifer called out desperately. Glaceon tried her hardest to get up and move out of the way, only for the paralysis to kick in, keeping her in place._

_"Butter...FREE!" Buzzing loudly, the dual bug flying type sent a powerful orb of bug type energy directly to the ice type, effectively knocking her down for good._

_"Glaceon is unable to battle! Trainer send out your next pokemon!"_

_"Return Glaceon, thanks for the hard work!" Jennifer praised with a small smile, before taking out another capsule._

_Autumn took out her last poke ball, her starter pokemon. The two females released their pokemon simultaneously, both pokemon appearing in front of them._

_"Let's show 'em Flygon!" Flygon appeared floating in the air, a playful expression on his face._

_"Charizard! Battle time!" Charizard roared as he formed in the air, shooting a Flamethrower into the sky, similar to Ash's Charizard._

_Paul and Ash looked at each other, before nodding. Simultaneously returning both of their pokemon and taking out new ones, the two trainers let out two fresh pokemon._

_"Honchkrow! Stand by!" The dual dark flying type appeared in the air, a mischievous expression on his face._

_"Gliscor! Time to battle!" The ground flying type also appeared in the air, sticking it's tongue out with a small wink._

_The four trainers looked at one another, all of them thinking one thing. 'Looks like we have ourselves a sky battle.'_

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Drive to be the Best!**

The opposing Charizard gave a hardy glare at Gliscor, knowing his fire moves would do little against it. Gliscor merely gave an amused smile back, waving softly with it's left claw.

Flygon seemed very absentminded, the way he was just flying around in loops as if he wasn't in a league match. Soon enough, the dual dragon ground type became slightly more serious, landing next to his partner with a smirk making it's way onto his face.

Honchkrow was as confident as his trainer, mentally examining his two opponents.

"Alright, we'll start it off this time," Paul stated after a second, exchanging a quick nod with his pokemon. His onyx eyes closed for a split second, before opening up with a fiery gaze.

The Veilstone City native gave a small but sharp look to Ash, giving him the first move.

"Swords Dance!" Ash ordered immediately, his mind working at lighting speed. Gliscor nodded, swiping it's claws back in forth in a rhythm, doubling the dual ground flying type's attack.

"GLI!" The bat pokemon screeched, it's muscles tensing with power as it's eyes grew serious.

"Honchkrow use Double Team!" Paul added on, his fist clenching slightly as he gave the command. The dual dark flying type complied silently, creating multiple couples of himself spread around their side of the battlefield.

"Dragon Tail on Gliscor!" Jennifer commanded, wanting to get rid of Gliscor for the time being. Flygon gingerly approached Gliscor, as the bat pokemon and it's trainer merely watched the dragon approach.

People in the crowd were conversing with themselves in confusion, not understanding why Ash wasn't making a move.

In the crowd...

"He must have something planned," Brock remarked. "Ash isn't one to just let his pokemon take hits for no reason."

Gary nodded, his eyes not leaving the battlefield. "Even though he was inexperienced in our battle at the Silver Conference, he still had very unorthodox strategies up his sleeve, so he must have one for this Flygon."

Back to the battle...

'Ash you better have a plan for this,' Paul said to himself, noticing his partner's seemingly carefree expression.

"I'm sorry Jennifer," Ash stated solemnly, confusing the female. "Protect!"

Gliscor protected itself with a green shield, causing Flygon to bounce off. "Now grab Flygon and keep him in a lock!" The bat pokemon quickly wrapped it's sharp claws around the dragon ground type in a strong hold, making him unable to escape. Gliscor squeezed tightly to ensure Flygon was too pained to use attacks, ensuring the bat pokemon's next move.

Flygon squirmed around with Jennifer yelling out support, although she would never expect what was about to come.

Ash sighed, knowing what was next to occur. Gliscor wanted to show off this move, and now was the time.

The raven haired teen looked up, uttering one word. "Guillotine." Paul's eyes widened, having not known that Ash had this up his sleeve for the double battle.

The crowd gasped, as Gliscor released the squirming pokemon and swiped him twice with heavily extended claws that were glowing blue, knocking the dragon out instantly.

"Fly..." Flygon groaned, his eyes becoming swirls from the one hit KO attack. The referee was speechless, shaking himself as he had to give the command.

"Flygon is unable to battle! Trainer, please send out your last pokemon!" Jennifer was motionless for a second, unbelieving at what had just occurred. Flygon was the key of this battle for her with his powerful attack and superior speed, but now that key was for naught, her pokemon falling to a single attack.

"F-Flygon return," she uttered softly after a moment of intense silence, sending the dual dragon ground type back into his ball. The raven haired female raised her gaze to Ash, almost breaking the boy's heart with her destroyed expression. Taking out her last ball, she released her final pokemon, a Medicham.

Ash felt everyone's gaze on him, which was obvious as he had just obliterated Jennifer's Flygon. Sighing, he looked at Gliscor, who was currently feeling rather bad as well. At first, the bat pokemon thought it would be cool to knock out it's opponent like that, but seeing the saddened face of the pokemon's trainer, it made the bat pokemon regret it somewhat, but a battle was a battle, and one hit KO attacks were completely legal as Ash had told the bat.

The raven haired trainer looked at Paul, who for once looked to be in surprise. He looked at his friends, they also were shocked out of their minds. Lastly, he looked at Jennifer and Autumn, who both looked very intimidated after that decimation courtesy of Gliscor.

Not liking this very awkward silence, Ash cleared his throat. "Let's continue, shall we?" The other three trainers broke out of their thoughts, nodding.

Jennifer grew an expression of determination. If she was going to lose, she was at least going to give it her all. "Medicham use Fake Out on Gliscor!" As Fake Out could not be blocked by Protect since it was always a first turn move, the attack hit it's mark.

Autumn nodded, having done nothing at all this time around. "Charizard use Flamethrower on Honchkrow's copies!" Double Team was still in effect, so the fire flying type spewed out a melting burst of flames, flowing onto Honchkrow like a hose, effectively getting rid of the copies.

"Since Charizard is distracted use Stone Edge!" Ash retaliated. Autumn's eyes widened, knowing how terrible that attack would be for a fire flying type like Charizard. "Protect!"

Charizard roared, using a giant green shield to block Gliscor's powerful stones. Unfortunately, the shield began to crack and some rocks still went through, striking the Kanto starter greatly. Howling in pain, the fire flying type smacked Gliscor away with his tail glowing brightly with a silver sheen, an Iron Tail.

Gliscor reeled away slightly, composing itself quickly to battle once more.

With Paul...

"Sky Attack on Medicham!" Paul ordered. The dual dark flying type followed orders smoothly, rising high into the air, before speeding downwards towards Medicham.

"Detect!" Medicham weaved and swerved at the command, letting Honchkrow miss his target completely. Jennifer saw a spot to retaliate, and she took it. "High Jump Kick while he's close!"

Medicham used it's superior athletics and launched itself foot first towards Honchkrow, keen on hitting a powerful strike. Honchkrow, not known for his speed, could not dodge the attack and was hit directly under his beak, sending the dark flying type tumbling to the ground.

"Crow!" Rolling back to his talons and getting back into the air, Honchkrow smirked. He really enjoyed battling strong pokemon, not liking to just sweep through weak pokemon as if it was some sort of game.

"Honchkrow, lure Medicham close with Taunt!" The Veilstone City native ordered, as the plan to finish up his side of the battle was coming into his head.

Honchkrow used one of his wings to pull down an eyelid, all the while squawking in a chattering manner, as if telling his fellow birds how pathetic this pokemon was. Medicham did not take this well at all, smoke coming out of it's ears, or non existent ears.

"Cham!" Sprinting in a frenzy, Medicham charged it's opponent with a growing rage. Jennifer grew worried, knowing that this was a bad situation for her side.

"Medicham please calm down!" The raven haired female pleaded desperately, not wanting to lose her last pokemon to a Taunt.

Unfortunately for her, Medicham ignored her, keen on teaching Honchkrow a lesson for taunting it.

Paul smirked subtly, his plan setting into motion. "Confuse Ray!" Jennifer had no chance to stop the attack, as Honchkrow sent out the confusion-indicting attack before she could even order a command.

"C-C-Cham...? M-Me..." The dual psychic fighting type slurred, beginning to wobble as the confusion kicked in. It's legs were beginning to lean, it's balance fading.

"Finish this! Sky Attack!" Honchkrow agreed, setting off into the sky, before shooting down like a fallen plane.

"Medicham no!" Jennifer exclaimed, her pokemon being completely helpless as of now. Autumn wanted to help her partner, although she was dealing with a Gliscor with so many counters to her Charizard, she couldn't stop and help.

Hitting his mark, the dual dark flying type crashed into Medicham's stomach, sending the two straight into the ground.

The end result, was a fainted Medicham under a currently recovering Honchkrow.

"Medicham is unable to battle! Jennifer is out of pokemon, which means she is out of the battle!"

Jennifer sighed, returning Medicham with comforting words of praise. The raven haired female looked to Autumn's side, unable to do anything else except give support.

Back to Ash...

"Charizard use Dragonbreath!" Autumn ordered. Roaring with power, the Kanto Starter spewed out a yellowish greenish beam from his burning mouth, keen on getting a good hit on the bat pokemon.

"Use your training buddy! Dodge and weave!" Gliscor complied, using it's featherless wings to fly around the attack in mid-air, spinning around it like a top.

"Now, Giga Impact!" Ash commanded with his fist clenched tightly. With Jennifer out of the picture, Paul decided to let Ash finish the match as both of them had all of their pokemon and it was rather unfair to double team Autumn as she clearly had a huge disadvantage with only one pokemon left.

"Gli...SCOR!" Soaring at speeds that could rival one of Ash's fastest pokemon, Gliscor became enveloped in a purplish orange aura, heading straight for the opposing Charizard.

"Dodge it, Charizard!" Charizard tried his best to dodge the attack, only for his eyes to widen when Gliscor suddenly changed lanes in the air and struck him like a flash.

"ROAWR!" The fire flying type roared in pain as he was sent straight into the ground as if he was hit by a Heavy Slam attack. Gliscor lay on the fire dragon, checking to see if he was still raring to go. It didn't seem so, as Charizard had his eyes closed with a peaceful expression on his face. Until, his eyes opened abruptly, glowing bright red.

The ground began to rumble, creating a semi-earthquake from Gliscor's perspective. It scared the bat pokemon, as the semi-earthquake didn't come from it, no, it came from none only than Charizard. The Kanto Starter began to growl, his teeth baring and beginning to rumble as if they had a mind of their own.

"G-Gli...?" Gliscor asked hesitantly, only for the bat's heart to fall into it's stomach.

"ROAWRRR!" Blasting Gliscor off of him, Charizard rose off the ground in a frenzy, his entire body glowing in a powerful red aura. Roaring at a volume that could have made his opponent go deaf, the fire flying type put his now completely red eyes towards the target of his pain, Gliscor.

Ash's eyes widened in fear as Charizard charged directly at Gliscor at full speed, his body covered in dragon type aura. Ash knew this move all too well. Outrage.

The only person seemingly more scared than Ash was Autumn. She herself knew of the fact that Charizard could not control himself when angry, and was currently cursing herself for letting this happen.

"I-I forfeit Charizard!" The red haired trainer called out, wanting to stop this before it got out of hand. Charizard stopped his attack at hearing that, beginning to fume.

The referee nodded, raising his flags. "Charizard has been forfe-ROAWRR!" Charizard interrupted him, approaching the man with his claws extended outwards. The referee grew a look of intense fear, unknowing of what to do without getting hurt.

Ash wanted to gasp, but he had no time to. "Gliscor use a fully powered Stone Edge!"

"Gli!" Gliscor flew as fast as it could, getting right near Charizard. Ash saw the danger the man was in, being right in front of Charizard, so he yelled out to him. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

The man obliged, quickly diving as he saw the powerful stones make their way to the rampaging fire type.

"ROOOR!" Charizard roared in pain, the double super effective attack hurting him greatly, although only succeeding in hindering him slightly. Seeing as the rampaging beast still wasn't hindered enough, Ash called on Paul.

"Paul! Bring out Electivire!" The worried Pallet Town native exclaimed quickly. Paul looked at him silently, unsure if he should listen to a command like that.

"COME ON!" Ash yelled forcefully, surprising the Veilstone City trainer so much that he complied. Electivire appeared with his casual smirk, only for his eyes to widen at seeing a powerful looking Charizard get hit by multiple Stone Edge attacks, only for the pokemon to resist them.

"I need you to grab Charizard and use Thunder, alright?" The raven haired teen asked the electric type, getting a nod from Electivire after Paul agreed.

"Vire!" Running in and grabbing the fire flying type with as tight of a hold as he could muster, Electivire let out a powerful Thunder directly onto Charizard, dazing him with the powerful attack.

"Butterfree! Sleep Powder on that Charizard!" Ash commanded, letting out the bug flying type out of his ball. Butterfree complied immediately, spreading the white powder over the dazed fire flying type, effectively putting him to sleep.

Jennifer and Autumn had been watching the whole thing, awed at how brave Ash was. Normally, most trainers would cower in fear from a rampaging beast like this, but he stayed behind, and even solved the problem. That was a very good person in their book.

"Return!" Autumn exclaimed, letting the beast back into his ball at last. The crowd, having been rather quiet as this situation had scared them to silence, began to clap fondly for the trainers, glad that the issue had been solved without too much trouble.

Ash sighed in relief, returning Butterfree and Gliscor as Paul returned Electivire and Honchkrow.

The referee, who had calmed down after Charizard had been returned, gave the final verdict. "Since Jennifer and Autumn's pokemon are all unable to battle, Ash and Paul are the winners!"

The four trainers approached each other, with Autumn immediately begging for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry! My Charizard can't control himself when he gets angry, and as you can see, he went on a rampage. Please forgive me!" The red haired trainer begged, her hands interlocking with each other.

Ash waved it off, having gotten used to playing this kind of role. "It's perfectly fine, although I think I know why your Charizard got so uncontrollable."

"Y-You do?" Autumn questioned hesitantly. The raven haired teen nodded, sighing softly.

"It's because of-"

"The ability Blaze," Paul interrupted the Pallet Town native, surprising him. "When the pokemon has been damaged down to the last third of it's health, Blaze activates. Many pokemon cannot control the Blaze ability as the power boost is too much, such as Ash's Infernape." Oh, the irony.

Giving Paul a quick look of annoyance, Ash nodded to Autumn. "He's right, although you need to confront Charizard about this. Let him know that you care for his safety and that you want him to be safe and controlled."

Autumn nodded energetically. "Thank you so much! Good luck in the tournament you two!" The red haired trainer waved as she left the stadium, leaving only Jennifer and the two teens.

"Well, I have to say I'm disappointed because we lost, but I'm glad I got eliminated by two very experienced trainers," Jennifer admitted, adjusting her visor, as her expression changed slightly. Taking out two slips of paper, she wrote something on each. "Here's my number, give me a call!" The raven haired female exclaimed with a wink, handing the slips to them.

Blushing once more, Ash and Paul took a slip each, watching the raven haired girl walk away, swaying her hips ever so slightly.

"ASH KETCHUM YOU BETTER TRASH THAT-MMF!" Dawn's voice was heard in the background, as well as muffled complaints.

After pocketing the slips, Ash and Paul turned to one another, as it was just them now. Paul spoke first, as it seemed he had something to say. "Well, I must say that I'm surprised, you've indeed grown stronger."

Ash was shocked momentarily, before letting a smirk grow on his face. "Would you say I'm stronger than you?"

Paul grew a look of annoyance. "Don't push it."

Putting out his hand, Ash let himself gain a competitive smile. "Until we battle next."

The Veilstone City native accepted the handshake, offering a slight, and only slight smile. "Until we battle next."

The two walked in separate directions, Paul in the direction of who knows where, and Ash in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Entering the Pokemon Center and making his way to the Cafeteria, Ash wondered how Pikachu was. The little mouse had opted to sleep in his room for today, seemingly wanting to get some extra rest of some sort. Shrugging at that thought, Ash entered the cafeteria, grabbing some grub and taking a seat.

'Hm, so now I'm alone it seems?' The Pallet Town native wondered to himself, taking a bite of his food.

"Did you really think I'd let you leave after that?"

Ash looked up at that, locking eyes with beautiful sapphire colored eyes, and then another pair of beautiful sapphire colored eyes.

The two sapphire eyed beings sat next to him, putting their stuff down.

"Wow Ash, you've already made it to the top 32!" Dawn exclaimed, kissing the boy on the cheek.

Ash blushed softly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, but it only gets tougher from here."

Sapphire picked a fry from Ash's plate, nibbling it softly.

"H-Hey! My fry!" The raven haired teen whined, his sacred potato slice gone.

The blonde haired female stuck her tongue out at him, grabbing another.

Narrowing their eyes at each other, the two glared at one another for a second, before bursting out into laughter.

"Hm, that does look mighty tasty.." Dawn mused, grabbing some food as well.

Sighing as he wouldn't be able to eat his own food, Ash let a smile paste onto his face.

"Well, I'm completely fine with sharing," The Pallet Town native admitted, shocking the two incredibly.

"R-Really?! But you never share your food!" Dawn exclaimed with an over dramatic gasp.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Oh no! Ash is sharing! The world is over!" The teen exclaimed with sarcasm evident in his voice.

Dawn scoffed, crossing her arms. "Well then, I didn't know that you liked to mock your girlfriend."

Ash shrugged. "Maybe I do." A smirk grew on his face as began to mock Dawn more. "Piplup! Spotlight!" The raven haired teen exclaimed in a girly voice, pretending to throw a poke ball into the air.

His blue haired companion was not amused, taking Ash's hat off his head. "My hat!"

Putting the hat on and clearing her throat, she smirked. "Hey Pikachu!" Dawn exclaimed, her voice lowering to a tone sounding like a female Darth Vader. "Let's go train some more!"

"Very funny," Ash stated with his arms crossed.

They were interrupted as Sapphire made a cooing noise, pointing at her whiteboard. The board read, _"I almost forgot! Ash! Dawn, your mother and I worked together in secret making this for you, I hope you like it!"_

Dawn realized she had forgotten that they had finished it today, but she was glad that Sapphire had remembered.

Taking out a box, Sapphire handed it to Ash.

"You didn't have to!" Ash exclaimed, although internally he was jumping for joy. He opened the box, finding two things. One, was a new hat that looked similar to his first hat that he wore during his journeys through Kanto, Johto and The Orange Islands, only that the middle mark was blue. The second item, was not a shirt like he expected, but a scarf. This scarf, amazingly, had the colors and textures of a Latias, red white and blue, with a soft feel. Putting the scarf and hat on, which matched in terms of color, Ash smiled.

"How do I look?" The Pallet Town native asked, doing a full turn. The two females giggled, nodding energetically.

"Perfect!" _"It looks great Ash!"_

Ash smiled a toothy grin, hugging the two females tightly. "I can't thank you two enough! I need to thank my mom later too."

Dawn and Sapphire hugged back, equally happy smiles gracing their faces. "You're welcome!" _"It was nothing!"_

Wondering what he looked like, Ash released himself from the hug. "Do any of you have a mirror?"

Nodding and handing him the mirror, Dawn giggled as Ash checked himself out.

"I look great!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, flexing in the mirror. "I'll wear this everywhere I go!"

_"Even in the summer like now?" _Sapphire questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Ash sweat dropped, before shrugging. "Well, if Dawn can do it, so can I!"

"That's the spirit!" Dawn agreed, an amused smile on her face.

Closing the box, Ash smiled at the two girls. "Well, how about we finish this lunch off and go spend some time outside, huh?"

The two sapphire eyed females nodded gleefully, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ash's idea.

"Sounds great!" _"Sure!"_

* * *

**Next Morning**

"Welcome trainers! You remaining 32 trainers will face one another in full six on six battles! Up on the giant screen are the match ups! Find your opponents and get ready for battle! First battle is in an hour, good luck everyone!"

Ash looked for his name, smiling when he noticed Barry and Bianca's names as well, meaning they pulled through in their tag battle. He found his name, paired up with a rather interesting trainer, one that he himself knew fairly well.

"Well Conway, I won't hold back," The raven haired teen said with a smirk on his face, wondering just what the glasses wearing trainer had up his sleeve.

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**So, here comes one of the canon battles. If you've seen the battle in the anime, it will not be the same as it was there. I may have Conway use the same pokemon, but that's all that'll really be the same.**

**Well anyways, thanks for reading, bye!**


	16. The Reveal

**Hello, it's Jay1414 back with another chapter for my story, Reason. **

**I know it's been a while, but I've truly been taking my time with planning the rest of this story and I've been changing around Chapter 16 to fit my liking. I've also taken up Beta-Reading, which I enjoy as well. What's been dragging me down for updating hasn't been my lack of interest, moreover it's the fact that all my ideas for this story won't even happen yet. I just couldn't get past this single battle, which I honestly did not understand why. It was frustrating to say the least.**

**Anyways, I'll answer some of the reviews it may have seem I ignored.**

**Q&amp;A:**

Q: Acorbe

Quite nicely done, could you give him a Salamence? You could send him out for the next battle with a flashback. If he battles Conway can you evolve Gabite in the battle? All in all it's a nice story.

**A: For starters, thank you for the support. To answer your question, I'm not sure if you caught the foreshadowing in Chapter 12, and if you have, I'll let you know that I may have him have a Salamence in the future, according to the foreshadowing. Also, about Gabite, I may or may not have him used against Conway, but it all depends.**

Q: AshRuleZ

Nice battle!

I think you made one mistake though. Brick Break can destroy Light Screen, Reflect, and Safeguard, but I don't think it can break through Protect.

There are moves like Feint or Feint Attack (they're different moves) that can break through Protect, but Brick Break isn't one of them.

**A: Yes, I'm fully aware that only Feint breaks through Protect, but I'm classifying Brick Break as a Protect breaker because I'm using different elements than the ones that are used in the games. I believe that if the pokemon has enough power, it can break through a Protect, which is why Brick Break was able to do so, since it is an attack known for breaking screens.**

Q: Lord Edric

Stopping time seems a bit strange, maybe it should just be talking at the speed of thought.

**A: I wouldn't worry about it too much, as that is the only time that stopping time is mentioned.**

Q: 26Naruto26

Love the story except for what you did with Sceptile... Freeing Barry put up a fight against that grass type, I'm almost scared to read Pidgeot's fight... I hope that Pidgeot at least will be as strong as an average Pidgey, but after reading this fic so far, I might have to lower my expectations...

**A: After correcting your grammar, I still wasn't quite sure what you meant from the first part, can you specify? And to answer the second part, I can assure you that a pokemon who's been in their final stage for five years is stronger than an average Pidgey, haha. And, if you've read the battle with Roserade, you would know full well that Pidgeot could have sweeped Barry's team, just saying.**

Q: Wildlian

Why weren't some of Ash's Pokemon being trained?

**A: stars90 asked the same question, and I'll answer you in the same way. I have plans for the rest of Ash's pokemon(which I believe is what you're asking) after the league when Ash gets home. As a matter of fact, it will be mentioned in this chapter.**

Q: thor94

Good chapters, but it will be long with 5 full battles.

**A: Thank you for the support, and yes, that is how I intended it to be. I wanted Ash to use all of his pokemon, and I also wanted to make the league harder than it is in the Anime.**

Q: Reuven(Guest)

Can you do a harem of Ash/Dawn/Latias but if you can't, do Altoshipping.

**A: Well, that's exactly what I did. Just a heads up, I may or may not add females to it, but it all depends on my future decisions.**

**Now, I've made a decision for Sapphire. I feel like it'll be really tedious for her to have to use a whiteboard for the entire time of the story, so I'll have plans for her communications after the League. Although for now, whenever she speaks in human language, it means she is writing on her whiteboard, although I am not directly stating so.**

**Oh! Before I forget! I have decided to make Pokemon moves bold from now on, as it just looks cooler to be honest.**

**With that said, on to the fic!**

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts/Pokespeech'

**Pokemon Moves**

"**Mewtwo's Speech"**

**'Mewtwo's Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

"_Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_Wondering what he looked like, Ash released himself from the hug. "Do any of you have a mirror?"_

_Nodding and handing him the mirror, Dawn giggled as Ash checked himself out._

_"I look great!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, flexing in the mirror. "I'll wear this everywhere I go!"_

_"Even in the summer like now?" Sapphire questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_Ash sweat dropped, before shrugging. "Well, if Dawn can do it, so can I!"_

_"That's the spirit!" Dawn agreed, an amused smile on her face._

_Closing the box, Ash smiled at the two girls. "Well, how about we finish this lunch off and go spend some time outside, huh?"_

_The two sapphire eyed females nodded gleefully, agreeing wholeheartedly with Ash's idea._

_"Sounds great!" "Sure!"_

* * *

_**Next Morning**_

_"Welcome trainers! You remaining 32 trainers will face one another in full six on six battles! Up on the giant screen are the match ups! Find your opponents and get ready for battle! First battle is in an hour, good luck everyone!"_

_Ash looked for his name, smiling when he noticed Barry and Bianca's names as well, meaning they pulled through in their tag battle. He found his name, paired up with a rather interesting trainer, one that he himself knew fairly well._

_"Well Conway, I won't hold back," The raven haired teen said with a smirk on his face, wondering just what the glasses wearing trainer had up his sleeve._

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Reveal!**

The raven haired teen known as Ash sat on a park bench a little ways from the stadium, accompanied by Dawn and Sapphire who were sat on either side of him, along with his furry mouse starter Pikachu who was sat peacefully on Ash's head. Ash looked up into the cloudless summer sky, his breathing becoming silent and serene. He was always at ease when he had his two girls by his side. Straightening out his new scarf, Ash sighed in relief.

_His _girls, it was a new possessive term for him. At first, he had stayed indifferent with the situation because he didn't want to show favoritism, hurting the other female, which was the last thing he'd want to happen. He chuckled as he thought about how he bolted out of the Pokemon Center when his secret was broken, definitely overreacting. Although, if he hadn't overreacted, he never would have met Bianca, a person he cherished very much. Anyway, if it weren't for Dawn giving him slack, he might have just been snatched from Bertha's house by the speeding rocket known as Latias. That thought made him laugh, thinking of the angry pouty face Latias would have most likely had on her face as she stormed through the house and swiped him like it was nothing. His laugh roused the other users of the park bench, who were both beginning to fall asleep.

"What's so funny?" Dawn asked him as she rubbed her eyes. Ash looked over at her with an amused smile. "I was just thinking about what would've happened if you had let Sapphire look for me when I ran out of the Pokemon Center, all red faced and pouty!" The raven haired teen finished with a laugh, before the aforementioned blonde swatted his head.

"_Hey, that's not funny," _Sapphire stated with a glare. Ash dropped his head downwards, feigning deep regret. "I..I'm so sorry... I'm sorry that your pouty face has caused me to laugh..." All that earned him was another swat, causing him to duck under her hand.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop now," Ash lamented, rubbing his head. Although, that didn't stop him from grinning at the blonde.

"Either way, your pout is just like Dawn's pout, funny but also very cute. Also, I'm glad you care enough about me to even want to go on a rampage in the first place." Ash smiled as he felt the two females hug him tightly. Brock had began to help him become more smooth with his words, with Gary giving him some tips to make himself more suave and more confident. Yeah, Brock of all people.

He stroked each of the two female's heads of hair with one hand, smiling to himself as he felt them sigh in relief. Pikachu on his head had already fallen asleep, which was good for him as he wouldn't feel unloved since Ash didn't have another hand to stroke the little mouse with.

Back to the topic of the tournament, his match with Conway was in a couple hours, so he had planned to just relax in the mostly empty park for now, then later choose the six that he'd be using in the match. Conway was a good trainer but not so good that Ash would risk his legendaries just to win.

Speaking of his legendaries, while Latias was with him as Sapphire, Mewtwo was training by himself at Mt. Quena, along with Tyranitar, Charizard and Sceptile who craved the extra training. Ash had wanted to go and help them out, although Mewtwo assured him that they'd be fine, wanting Ash to be ready for his match. The rest of his pokemon were at his belt, just in case he changed his mind about what pokemon to use or simply to rest from all the training they had this month. Ash merely shrugged at that thought, putting an arm around each of the two females sat beside him and closing his eyes with a gentle smile on his face.

**Mt. Quena**

**Pokespeech On:**

Mewtwo took another sip of the water he'd gotten from the stream, watching as the other three pokemon he was sparring with approached him.

"Say, I get that a select few of Ash's pokemon got chosen to come train, but what about the rest of them? Ash has many, many pokemon whom seek to become stronger like us, although Ash can't take them all at once. Is there anything we can do about that?" Sceptile asked, with the other two beasts nodding as well.

Mewtwo merely levitated in front of the three, nodding calmly. "**I have plans for the rest of Ash's pokemon, preferably after the league, that way we can work with all the pokemon at once, instead of having to swap out pokemon for others. I have visited Oak's lab, and you are 100 percent correct. All the pokemon there seek to become stronger, and to make Ash proud. Isn't that our goal as well?" **The three nodded vigorously, confirming the psychic type's beliefs. "**Perfect. When we get back to Sinnoh, I'll be sure to discuss this with Ash, preferably after his match, as I don't want to deter his determination by making him feel bad."**

"That works," Charizard agreed, puffing out some smoke idly. He himself knew full well that Bulbasaur was completely devastated that Ash didn't even think to bring him, not even to call Squirtle either. As a matter of fact, the fire flying type remembered something crucial, something that Ash needed to know as well. It was something that happened while he was coming back to Pallet from the Charizific Valley, and it was something that hadn't left his mind since then.

**CHARIZARD'S FLASHBACK:**

_'I wonder how everyone's doing,' Charizard pondered to himself as he flew towards Kanto, spotting the city known as Saffron City. He wanted to see if that Haunter who licked his face was still here, as his memory reminded him that the dual ghost poison type was with Sabrina. He was a goofy pokemon, although he'd be good on Ash's team. He landed on the roof of the Saffron City Gym, being sure to keep quiet. _

_Suddenly, Charizard began to hear creepy chuckles, confirming his beliefs. Although, the chuckles sounded way more creepy and deeper than the previous time, confusing him slightly. Was this a different ghost?_

_He felt a cold, wet sensation on his cheek, paralyzing him. "Ah!" He stumbled over his own feet from the paralysis, causing him to trip and fall._

_After the cold sensation numbed over and he got up from the fall, all Charizard could hear was goofy laughter, leading him to glare angrily at the rolled over Gengar, who was currently laughing his ass off._

"_Oh, real funny," Charizard stated with a fake laugh, crossing his arms with a childish huff of smoke escaping from his nostrils._

"_Oh come on!" Gengar chuckled with a creepy smile. "I didn't expect Ash's tiny little Charmander to turn into a big and strong Charizard, yet he still gets caught off guard by a simple **Lick** attack?" The dual ghost poison type spun around Charizard with an amused smile, nodding to himself as this was indeed the correct pokemon._

"_It was cold," Charizard growled, rubbing his soiled cheek with a scowl. "I don't like cold. How do you even remember me anyways? It's been what, five years?"_

_Gengar turned slightly more serious. "I remember you because you're Ash's Charizard, the pokemon who cost him the Indigo League. Am I correct? Sabrina had the league on the TV that day, and I rather enjoyed it until that unfortunate end to Ash's League Challenge. Oh, and besides that, us ghosts can remember the scent of a pokemon from a simple **Lick** attack, plus we ghosts also have great memory, so you could say I would remember you either way."_

_Charizard's expression hardened when Gengar mentioned the League. That memory really made him feel regret, as his egotistical ways had cost Ash his chance to win his first Pokemon League._

"_Did I strike a nerve?" The ghost pokemon questioned with a curious expression, putting one of his purple paws on his non existent chin._

"_I promised to never let that happen again. You hear me?" Charizard stated as his expression grew fierce. _

"_Loud and clear," Gengar replied with a sigh. "Now, since you're here, you must have a reason, don't you? As much as I fancy visitors, it is rather odd for you to just come find me after 5 years all of a sudden."_

_Charizard nodded. "I wanted to see if you wanted to come along with me to Pallet Town, where Ash's pokemon reside. I was currently flying there from the Charizific Valley in Johto when I was passing by Saffron and I remembered you. I can understand if you don't want to come, but if you do feel up to it then it'd be worth your while. Ash needs a strong ghost type on his team, and I'm sure you're a good candidate for the part."_

_Gengar put on a look of thinking, before shaking his head. "Not now, only when Ash can come get me himself. For now, I owe it to Sabrina to give her the rest of my time before then. According to her, Ash is in Sinnoh currently. When he comes back to Kanto, tell him to come find me."_

_Charizard grew a look of agreement, before gaining an expression of confusion. "That sounds fine, but how does she know where Ash is?"_

_The dual ghost poison type shrugged. "She follows his journey as a trainer I guess. Either that or she likes him or something and searches his location from time to time."_

"_He did save her from herself and helped her live a more peaceful life with her family so I really wouldn't be surprised if she was fond of him from that," Gengar added on with a look of reminisce, pondering back from when he, as a silly Haunter, had also helped Sabrina out by making her laugh._

_Charizard shrugged back after a moment, having been caught reminiscing as well. "Well anyways, I'll be sure to get Ash to come back to Saffron before he goes back home, so stay ready."_

_Gengar nodded. "I'll be waiting for it. Now go on home, and I'll see you when he comes to get me." The ghost made a childish shooing motion, before disintegrating into the Saffron Gym's roof._

_The fire flying type nodded as he took off into_ _the sky, his next destination, Pallet Town._

**CHARIZARD'S FLASHBACK END:**

"Are we ready to head back? I have something to discuss with Ash as well," Charizard said thoughtfully. Mewtwo nodded, surrounding the three powerful pokemon in psychic energy.

'Seems like Dad's gonna have a lot of problems in his hands after the League ends,' Tyranitar pondered as they disappeared from Mt. Quena, straight back to Sinnoh.

**Lily of the Valley Pokemon Center**

**Pokespeech Off:**

After receiving the mental message, Ash waited patiently in the deep end of Lily of the Valley Forest, not even flinching as a bright pink ball of psychic energy exploded in front of him, depicting the images of Mewtwo, Charizard, Sceptile and Tyranitar. He had gone by himself into the forest, after persuading Dawn and Sapphire to go shopping with his mom, giving him much needed time to himself. The three guys, Brock, Gary and Professor Oak were at the stadium, promising to tell Ash of any strong trainers whom he may have to research.

"How was training?" Ash asked, adjusting his hat from the powerful energy blast that had turned it slightly sideways. Pikachu, having gotten used to this as well merely got back on Ash's shoulder after using his head as a height enhancer.

Mewtwo gave a thumbs up. **"It was alright. Say Ash, Charizard and I need to have a chat with you after your match, it's important." **

Ash nodded, knowing this was serious. "I understand. Rest up for now guys," The raven haired teen replied as he returned the four pokemon back into their balls. Now that they were returned, Ash sent out the six pokemon he'd be using against Conway, wanting to get a quick chat with each of them before it was time for his match.

* * *

The aforementioned raven haired teen sat in what was known as his locker room, which was his for a short amount of time until it was time to go into the main stadium's field. He had been mentally preparing himself for what was about to come, knowing full well that his opponent was nothing even close to a normal trainer.

Conway was a very mysterious trainer, with unorthodox strategies to pull out of his sleeve from anywhere his mind could create it. It honestly worried Ash slightly. Conway must have definitely done his research on him, but Ash had the edge as he had many pokemon to use in his arsenal. Apart from readying his pokemon, Ash had also caught glimpses of his other friend's matches, with Paul, Bianca, Barry and Nando all classifying for the Top 16. Now it was his turn. He had to win. For Dawn, for Sapphire, for his mom, for Brock, for Gary, Professor Oak, Bianca, Barry and everyone else supporting him back home and anyone else watching him on TV or anybody who ever believed in his abilities when he himself did not. He owed it to them. It was like a promise he just could not break.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts as he heard a signal begin to beep, Ash rose from his spot on the bench and made his way to the field, his face contorting from an emotion of slight worry into an expression of pure determination. 'Whatever happens, I won't let him win.'

* * *

"Hello one and all to another wonderful battle of the Lily of the Valley Conference!" The announcer exclaimed, riling up the heavily increased crowd, going from a couple hundred people to a couple thousand.

"On the red corner, we have Ash from Pallet Town!" Ash came into view, laughing softly to himself at the cheer leading squad that had accumulated since his first match. Many female fans had begun to join Dawn and Sapphire, creating a personal cheering squad of about 12 cheerleaders. Smirking to himself, the Pallet Town native could only imagine how his fellow Pallet native and ex-rival Gary felt about this considering he used to mock him with his cheerleaders. As he took a closer look, the raven haired teen noticed a new addition to the squad, a female he hadn't expected to see again so soon.

"Jennifer?" he questioned as she noticed his gaze, winking at him flirtatiously. Dawn seemed to notice him blush, realizing it wasn't her he was blushing at.

Looking to her right, she noticed how Jennifer continued to stare directly at Ash with an expression of mischief, confirming her beliefs. "Can you not ogle at Ash please?" she asked as nicely as she could muster, putting her temper down for the moment. The raven haired female looked at her, smirking softly. "Sorry, he's just so handsome! I couldn't help myself!"

Narrowing her eyes at that response, Dawn was about to snap at her before she held her tongue, silently agreeing with what she said. Ash was handsome, so it wasn't like that was a bad response or anything.

"Well...okay," Dawn responded, dropping her rage little by little, although she kept her gaze on Jennifer, not trusting her one bit. Jennifer smiled at her, turning back to the match.

Sapphire, glad that she hadn't needed to restrain Dawn, sighed in relief. With a small pump of her pom, the blonde haired female nudged her blue haired friend, as the match was about to start.

Pikachu on Sapphire's shoulder sighed as well, wondering just what spurred this jealous nature in Dawn. He really hoped Buneary wasn't the same way, because as they say, pokemon take after their trainers.

As his face receded back to his normal skin color after watching and hearing that exchange, Ash made his way to the battlefield, watching as Conway was announced and took his place in front of him on the other side of the battlefield.

Fixing his glasses so they shined, Conway smirked at his opponent, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Well Ash, I hope you don't hold back on me," he stated, getting a scoff from the raven haired trainer.

"You know me well enough to know I'll always give it my all, so don't expect me to give in," Ash replied, getting a brief nod from Conway as the referee stood in the middle of the two.

"This is a full 6 on 6 battle with Ash from Pallet Town against Conway from Celacion Town! Substitutions are allowed! Once all 6 pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the winner is decided! Trainers, release your pokemon simultaneously!"

"Heracross, let's go!" Conway's Heracross appeared on the field, flexing his arms rigorously. This Heracross was visibly smaller than Ash's, but the dual bug fighting type pokemon still seemed to hold great power.

"Go! Floatzel!" Floatzel appeared in a burst of water, a confident grin defining his features.

"Conway has the first move! Heracross vs Floatzel, begin!" The referee announced, throwing down the two flags present in each of his hands.

"Heracross! Get stronger with **Bulk Up!"** Conway exclaimed right off the bat.

The opposing dual bug fighting type complied with a grin, flexing all of his muscles, giving him an attack boost as well as a defense boost. Floatzel did not seem impressed, shaking his head softly as the opposing pokemon flexed, trying to show that he was stronger than his water type opponent.

Ash nodded to himself, ready to give his first command. "**Agility**!" Floatzel's smirk grew at that, charging energy into his whole body, doubling his speed. Cracking his neck slightly so he was more relaxed, Floatzel broke into a battle stance, the grin on his face turning slightly more serious as this was a league match, and the celebrating could be done _after _he defeated his opponent.

"Now, **Aqua Jet**!" The raven haired teen ordered, noticing how Conway didn't even flinch one bit, as if he knew what would occur. Floatzel agreed, shooting himself steadfast in a thick stream of water, headed straight towards Heracross.

Conway's expression scared Ash somewhat. His eyes were invisible from the shine of his glasses, all the while he had an unmerciful smirk on his face. Heracross did not move, taking the attack with a smirk equal to his trainer's.

Conway finally gave another command, his expression unchanging. "**Counter**." Ash's eyes widened as Heracross hit Floatzel with a blazing fist surrounded in dark red energy, doing double the damage the water type's original attack had done. Heracross' smirk grew, taking pleasure in seeing the water type grow a look of surprise, wiping off his serious front completely.

As Floatzel reeled back, Ash mentally sighed. 'This is Conway, the guy who doesn't battle like a normal trainer. I have to remember that.'

Floatzel rose from the ground with clenched teeth, not liking to have his attack sent back at him. 'So this guy is technical is he? No problem.'

"Come on Ash!" Conway exclaimed with a small grin. "You should know better than to approach a pokemon so aggressively with a power boost! You have a Heracross yourself, so I thought you would have known!"

Ash growled as that was entirely true. What was wrong with him? Surely he should know a pokemon that he himself owns. Shaking his head from his careless mistake, Ash merely nodded. "Let's just continue."

* * *

"**Sonicboom**!" Ash exclaimed. Floatzel agreed, jumping above Heracross and sending powerful sound waves with a single flip. The battle had not been too spectacular, the two pokemon exchanging hit by hit, although Floatzel's extremely high stamina had spurred him on in this debate, giving him the upper hand at this moment.

"Roll," Conway commanded, pretending to draw a circle with his index finger. The dual bug fighting type complied wordlessly, rolling into a ball, completely dodging the sound waves sent by Floatzel.

"Now that he's on the ground, latch onto Heracross with **Crunch**!" The raven haired teen retaliated, watching carefully how calm Conway was. The green haired trainer had not shown much emotion during this battle, seemingly trying to play mind games with Ash by making it seem like he had everything going according to plan for him.

"Float!" Floatzel exclaimed, using his boosted speed to quickly close the distance between himself and Heracross, clamping his sharp jaws onto the bug fighting type's arm.

"CROSS!" Heracross screeched in pain, feeling the water type's razor sharp teeth pierce his flesh. He tried his best to shake the speedy pokemon off, but to no avail as Floatzel would not let go so easily.

"**Bullet Seed**," The glasses wearing trainer said calmly, widening Ash's eyes. Had he been saving this to end the match?

"Floatzel latch off of Heracross!" Floatzel complied immediately, knowing full well he wouldn't want to feel that **Bullet Seed** anytime soon. As he began to flip back to the ground, the speedy water type was caught off guard by his opponent's next move.

Conway smirked under his shining glasses as Heracross launched himself into the air, putting his plan into action. "Release!" Heracross shot powerful seeds of grass type energy, although they came out more powerful and definitely faster than Ash had expected, as the dual bug fighting type executed the attack similarly to a machine gun.

"F-Floatzel!" The speedy water type groaned, getting shot down like a soldier in a war. Ash cursed to himself as Floatzel was making it to the ground, his energy beginning to diminish slower and slower.

"**Aqua Ring** quickly!" Ash commanded as Floatzel quickly used his flotation sac to bounce up off the hard battlefield, cushioning his fall. Using a quick aerial maneuver to flip to his feet, Floatzel began to perform another flip to finally get some beneficial healing for himself via **Aqua Ring**.

"I don't think so!" Conway exclaimed, his arm already raised to give a command. "**Megahorn**!" The dual bug fighting type cried out in agreement, using quick strafes to make his way to Floatzel without catching a breath. At speeds that still surprised Ash, Heracross dived for Floatzel, his horn gleaming with bug type energy.

"You know what to do!" The raven haired trainer exclaimed, putting his complete trust in Floatzel's abilities to stop the attack. Floatzel smirked softly while simultaneously canceling the **Aqua Ring,** keen on giving the audience a show. As soon as he landed on the ground, the water type waited for Heracross to get as close as possible, before making his move.

'Foot stool!' Floatzel exclaimed as he short hopped onto Heracross' back, turning the bug type into a stool as he used his powerful leg muscles to shoot himself straight into the air, simultaneously sending Heracross into the ground. Doing a deliberately long corkscrew flip, Floatzel charged up a** Waterfall** attack, sending it straight at Heracross as the speedy water type hopped on and rode it as well, all the while charging up a secret **Sonicboom** to add a little extra damage.

"Heracross!" Conway stated in worry, for once dropping his calmness as Heracross was completely bombarded by the powerful **Waterfall** attack, sending him farther into the ground. Floatzel snickered, seeing Heracross trying his best to rise up off the ground.

'Hold on, wait a minute, you thought I was finished?' The water type taunted as he sent the powerful **Sonicboom** attack straight onto the dual bug fighting type, sending him down into a hole created by the **Waterfall **attack.

"Finish it with** Aqua Jet**!" Ash exclaimed with a clenched fist. Floatzel nodded, silently saying 'gladly' as he shot at Heracross within a fast and extremely compressed burst of aquatic energy. As **Aqua Jet** had priority, Heracross had no chance to block as the water type attack trapped him into a pool of mush.

Conway put a hand through his hair, showing intense frustration as the combination of attacks had left Heracross helpless, meaning he only had two options; try to break him out of it with a risk of getting trapped even more, or forfeit. The green haired glasses wearing trainer sighed, knowing it would be foolish to do the first option as Heracross was already very winded. "I forfeit Heracross," he said softly, watching as Floatzel backed off the dual bug fighting type, crossing his arms with a smirk.

The referee nodded, as that was the most responsible thing to do in this situation. The official rose up his two flags, pointing the red one at Ash. "Conway has forfeited Heracross! Which means that the first battle goes to Floatzel and Ash! Please send out your next pokemon!"

Conway returned Heracross with words of praise, feeling quite bitter as his plan didn't go as he had hoped with the powerful bug type. Nonetheless, he pulled out another poke ball, as that was only 1 out of 6.

Meanwhile, Ash was currently praising Floatzel's wonderful performance, as well as the crowd as the cocky water type posed for them with his arms crossed, riling them up even more. Laughing at his arrogant but very powerful pokemon, Ash decided to keep him in as the water type was having a ton of momentum currently, and he wanted to keep it going.

"Shuckle! To the battlefield!" Conway exclaimed, throwing his capsule in a quick motion, releasing the dual bug rock type pokemon that appeared almost immobile with the giant shell on his back.

'Shuckle huh?' Ash pondered. 'A very bulky but hardly movable pokemon. Although, several moves can change that very easily.'

"Ash has the first move! Floatzel vs Shuckle, begin!" The referee announced, throwing down his two colored flags once more.

"Alright Floatzel! **Rain Dance**!" Ash ordered, widening Conway's eyes. He had not used that move at all in the first battle. Why had he been saving it until now?

Floatzel nodded energetically, yelling up at the sky, causing rain clouds to form and rain upon the battlefield. The water began to moisten up the field, along with the pokemon and their trainers, especially Floatzel. Sliding side to side, the speedy water type became even more speedy thanks to his ability, Swift Swim.

"Interesting," Conway mused, quickly noticing the boost in speed. "Time to set up, Shuckle! **Stealth Rock**!"

The dual bug rock type complied, summoning giant boulders from the sky, which sunk into the moistened battlefield.

"Now, **Spikes**!" The green haired trainer added on, keen on littering the battlefield with multiple hazards.

"No thanks!" Ash retaliated. "**Aqua Jet**! Don't let Shuckle get that attack up!"

"Float!" The speedy water type agreed, sliding steadfast, striking the nearly immobile pokemon quickly with a fully compressed blast of aquatic energy. Shuckle slid back, although the bug type seemed unfazed from the super effective attack.

"Now that he's close, **Power Trick** then **Gyro Ball!**" Conway commanded next. The opposing pokemon glowed pink, before crying out in intense power, before throwing himself directly at Floatzel, the ends of his shell glowing a metallic silver.

'Wait, **Power Trick **switches the pokemon's defense stat with it's attack stat, and since Shuckle is a pokemon with very high defensive stats and very low offensive stats, this means that Shuckle's attack will skyrocket, while Shuckle's defense will become dangerously low. Also, **Gyro Ball **will be stronger depending on how much slower the pokemon is than it's opponent, and since Shuckle is an extremely slow pokemon on it's own, and Floatzel is an already very fast pokemon plus Swift Swim is activated, making him even faster, this means that Shuckle could knock out my Floatzel very, very easily!' Ash pondered thoroughly, acting quickly to assure Shuckle did not hit Floatzel.

"Counter Shield, quickly Floatzel!" Ash declared after a quick second of thinking.

The speedy water type immediately got on his back and began to spin, the water on the battlefield making him spin even faster, turning him into a spinning top. Next, Floatzel shot out a powerful **Hydro** **Pump** attack, turning him into a powerful water tornado. Shuckle collided with the water tornado, causing him to be shot straight into the stadium wall, although his shell was so durable and bulky that the wall merely shot him back to Floatzel, moving at an even faster speed than before.

Ash's blood went cold as he realized how devastating this attack would be to Floatzel. "Continue the Counter Shield, don't let him hit you!"

Floatzel complied wordlessly, spinning faster and faster, hoping this would stop Shuckle from hurting him. Shuckle continued to bounce between his opponent and the wall, gaining speed after each collision.

Conway had stayed silent, worried what would happen if Shuckle continued to crash against the wall. He had not expected Ash to pull out his Counter Shield so early, which was definitely putting his Shuckle and Ash's Floatzel in intense danger.

"Ash, what should we do?" Conway questioned his opponent, who gave him an equally scared look.

"I don't know, but we need to find a way to stop them both, without getting one of them severely injured," Ash replied, beginning to shake slightly.

Elite Four's Quarters, Lily of the Valley Island

The Elite Four were currently in their quarters, which was reserved for them and the Sinnoh Champion. Although Bertha already had a home here, she came to visit often to spend time with the others, as she did rather enjoy extra company. Currently, the aforementioned elderly lady was watching Ash's match on the television, getting caught off guard of the disaster which was currently occurring.

"Oh my.." Bertha stated, immediately noticing how distraught Ash was, as he had a well good reason to. "Everyone, come look!"

The other three elite four plus Cynthia came at her call, eyes widening as well, taking a seat near their fellow elite four.

"Is that Ash?" Flint questioned, getting a nod in return. "That Shuckle is in a very bad situation."

"I agree," Aaron added. "I hope Ash has a solution to not hurt his dear Floatzel."

"I'm sure he does," Lucian stated with a nod. "The kid was very, very innovative, so I'm sure he has a plan to ensure his pokemon and his opponent's pokemon stay out of any danger."

"I'd like to hope so, but the boy's expression leads me to believe he's very unsure of what to do," Bertha sighed, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair.

"He'll be fine," Cynthia said with a smile, catching everyone else's attention.

"How can you be so sure, Cynthia?" Flint asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's strong. Plus, I'm sure that Ash has people who care for him, and pokemon as well, so who knows what could happen?" The Sinnoh Champion replied with a grin.

That made everyone think thoroughly, as they all kept their eyes glued to the match.

Up in the crowd...

"This is a very dire situation," Oak stated right off the bat, his normally cheerful expression wiped right off his face. "One false move, and very terrible events could occur." He patted Delia's shoulder, who was simply too worried to say anything.

Brock nodded. "If any of those two stop attacking, one of them will get extremely injured, or even worse, both of them will."

Gary added in his two cents. "I've never seen something this grave happen before. I hope Ash has a solution for this." He didn't even use Ash's nickname, as now was not the time to tease.

"Oh no, hang in there Floatzel!" Dawn called out in support, feeling as much fear as Ash was for her once owned pokemon.

"Pika Pi..." Pikachu stated solemnly, wishing nothing more that he could step in and help stop them. But if he did, he'd risk hurting himself as well, which would do nothing good in this situation. It took a psychic type to do this job. He rubbed his cheek with Delia's, trying to calm her down as well.

'Please be safe..._' _Sapphire sighed, looking straight at the devastated expression of her Ash. 'I have to do something...'

Back to the battle...

Floatzel felt his water supply begin to diminish, as he felt himself get weaker. Shuckle had already gotten extremely dizzy, while his shell continued to slam into the stadium wall.

"Hang in there Floatzel! Please!" Ash begged, immediately noticing that Floatzel's water tornado was becoming gradually smaller.

"Stay strong Shuckle!" Conway exclaimed in support, his knees beginning to shake as well. He had already tried to return his pokemon, but Shuckle was moving way too fast for him to even aim the beam at him. If Ash returned Floatzel, chances are that Shuckle would crash into the other stadium wall, or even worse, Ash himself.

Floatzel tried his best to continue the attack, although his strength was continuing to get weaker and weaker, as his water tornado continued to dwindle. He had been spinning so fast that his sense of balance was becoming very scarce. Shuckle's eyes had already become swirls, meaning that he was so dizzy that his body was simply going on it's own.

**'Ash! Let me help out!' **Mewtwo exclaimed into Ash's mind. **'I can stop Shuckle with Psychic!'**

'But Mewtwo, your identity!' Ash argued, not wanting to risk the world knowing who Mewtwo was.

"**There's no need!"** All of the pokemon present heard those exact words, while everyone else merely heard a powerful cry.

Shuckle was suddenly stopped in place by a pink force field, while Floatzel was quickly told to stop attacking and relax. Thankful for those words, Floatzel flopped to the ground, sighing.

Everyone looked up at the pokemon who was holding Shuckle in place, who was unknown by almost everyone present, except for a select few. The pokemon slowly levitated the dizzy and mostly fainted bug type to the ground, letting Conway quickly scoop him up, which Ash did to Floatzel as well.

"Thank you so much, how can I re-" Ash began, before his reply was stopped when he realized who it was.

"Ash, you know this pokemon?" Conway questioned, rubbing Shuckle's head to calm him down.

Ash could not answer him, as his words were stuck in his throat, along with his breath. The realization hit him hard. He only uttered two words."W-Why Latias?"

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I don't have much to say, just that I'm relieved that I was finally able to update, and that I'm sorry it took this long.**

**I hope you enjoyed, and even though I couldn't finish the battle, I at least wanted to get this chapter out.**

**Until next time, see ya!**


	17. Over Anything in the World

**Hey, it's Jay1414, back with another chapter for my wonderful story, Reason.**

**I hit 200 followers on this story! Woo hoo! That's awesome! Thank you so much! I couldn't have asked for a better audience to present my story to! I mean honestly, I expected to get flames once in a while, but I haven't gotten any! For that, I'm eternally grateful!(That's a quote from this chapter as a matter of fact!)**

**Well anyways, as you can see from the story description, as of February 28th, Chapters 1-15 have been edited grammar wise, so that all of my chapters are up to date with my current writing style. There's no need to go back and read them if you've already read them before, as I did not really change anything plot wise, only some small parts that I thought sounded awkward and I decided to change.**

**Anyways, let's continue on, and I hope you enjoy the chapter, my wonderful readers!**

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts/Pokespeech'

**Pokemon Moves**

"**Mewtwo's Speech"**

**'Mewtwo's Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

"_Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_**'Ash! Let me help out!' **Mewtwo exclaimed into Ash's mind. **'I can stop Shuckle with Psychic!'**_

_'But Mewtwo, your identity!' Ash argued, not wanting to risk the world knowing who Mewtwo was._

"_**There's no need!"** All of the pokemon present heard those exact words, while everyone else merely heard a powerful cry._

_Shuckle was suddenly stopped in place by a pink force field, while Floatzel was quickly told to stop attacking and relax. Thankful for those words, Floatzel flopped to the ground, sighing._

_Everyone looked up at the pokemon who was holding Shuckle in place, who was unknown by almost everyone present, except for a select few. The pokemon slowly levitated the dizzy and mostly fainted bug type to the ground, letting Conway quickly scoop him up, which Ash did to Floatzel as well._

"_Thank you so much, how can I re-" Ash began, before his reply was stopped when he realized who it was._

"_Ash, you know this pokemon?" Conway questioned, rubbing Shuckle's head to calm him down._

_Ash could not answer him, as his words were stuck in his throat, along with his breath. The realization hit him hard. He only uttered two words."W-Why Latias?"_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Over Anything in the World**

The pokemon now known as Latias merely cooed, nuzzling her trainer softly. The raven haired teen couldn't believe it. Why did she do this?

"**She says that no matter the situation, she'll always be there to protect you," **Mewtwo translated into Ash's mind.

'No matter the situation,' Ash repeated to himself, looking downwards in thought. 'Isn't that my job?'

After his senses came back to him, Floatzel looked up at Latias with wide eyes, also in disbelief that she'd reveal herself so easily. 'You could have shape shifted into a different pokemon, couldn't you?'

'Yes, I could have,' Latias responded to the downed water type. 'But where's the fun in that? I'm not ashamed to show myself off, and I honestly am unbothered by everyone watching me currently. I was only protecting the person I love.'

As soon as Mewtwo translated what the eon dragon had just said, Ash immediately glomped her in a hug, touched that she would give her self away just for him. The psychic dragon immediately returned the hug as well as she could, rubbing the teen's head softly.

The crowd, having been utterly shocked to see such a graceful pokemon, were in awe at the scene. To them, it seemed like a bond between trainer and pokemon, but for Ash and Latias, it was much, much more.

Ash released himself from the tearful embrace, looking the eon dragon straight in the eye. "Well, I have to finish this match. Thank you so much," The Pallet Town native said kindly, rubbing the dragon's soft fur.

Latias shook her head at that, cooing confidently. Mewtwo's eyes widened, immediately translating the message into Ash's head. **"She says she wants to battle, along your side, ****right now.****"**

"What, really?" The teen questioned. The eon dragon nodded energetically, gesturing for Floatzel to take a rest. The speedy water type complied with a smile, letting himself be returned, before the eon dragon took his place.

Conway, who had stayed silent as he returned his fainted Shuckle, smiled. "Well, I'm assuming you're using this pokemon?"

Ash looked at his opponent with a smirk. "That's right. Be ready for the match of a lifetime!" The raven haired teen nodded to Latias, who nodded back.

The referee, having been extremely confused at first, was thankfully informed by Ash that he was substituting Floatzel for the pokemon known as Latias, as well that Conway was forfeiting Shuckle as the pokemon was unable to battle.

"Shuckle is unable to battle! Floatzel has been substituted for Latias! Conway, please send out your next pokemon!"

'Now this is a real challenge,' The green haired trainer said to himself with a smirk, feeling the utter power of this pokemon. After quickly scanning the pokemon with his Pokedex, he took out another poke ball from his belt, immediately letting out the monster inside. "Dusknoir, let's go!"

The heavy ghost type appeared in a quick flash of light, seizing up his psychic type opponent, before his eyes widened. 'An eon dragon?'

Latias merely chuckled at her opponent's amazement. 'That's right! Don't let me down, I want a good fight!'

"Conway has the first move! Latias vs Dusknoir, begin!" The referee exclaimed, throwing down his flags.

In the crowd...

"No way! Latias?!" Brock exclaimed in mild disbelief, remembering his, Ash and Misty's trip to Altomare.

"An eon dragon?" Oak questioned, hand to his chin. These pokemon were known as extremely rare, so seeing one in person was a miracle at that.

"Yeah! We met her a couple years back in Johto!" The Pewter City native replied. "I can't believe she came back to help Ash!"

"Look!" Gary pointed out. "Ash returned Floatzel! Could it be that he's planning on using that pokemon?"

Seeing the eon dragon take Floatzel's place, confirmed Professor Oak's beliefs. "It seems so, Gary. I'm assuming that she is his pokemon now? Unless, it's only a one time thing."

As the three males were conversing, the Twinleaf Town native was mentally arguing with herself. 'Should I tell them who Sapphire is?' Dawn questioned herself as she was making her way back to her seat, remembering what happened minutes prior to the reveal of the eon dragon.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_Dawn, I have to use the restroom. Can you accompany me?" Sapphire asked, nudging the blue haired teen._

_Seeing the look in her eye, Dawn had a good idea what her real intentions were. "Sure!"_

_After the two females excused themselves and left the stands, Sapphire turned to her blue haired friend. "I've got to help Ash."_

"_But what about your identity?" Dawn questioned the blonde. "If you reveal yourself, chances are that poachers will be after you!"_

"_It doesn't matter! I love Ash and I'd do anything to keep him and his pokemon safe!" The blonde haired female argued. "I know that Mewtwo could help him out the same way I could, but I want to show him how much I care about him! A simple reveal doesn't mean anything to me!"_

"_Are you sure about this?" The blue haired teen urged with an expression of worry. "Ash already knows how committed you are to him! There's no need to go to this length! Please reconsider!"_

"_You can't stop me," Sapphire replied with a clenched fist. "I would go to any length for him! Like I said, this reveal just doesn't matter! Whatever the situation, I'd gladly sacrifice myself for his well-being!"_

_After seeing the utter confidence in her eyes, Dawn merely sighed. "I know I can't stop you from doing this, but please, be careful. I don't want to lose you to some bastard poacher who wants to make a quick buck."_

_The blonde nodded. "I promise you that no matter what happens, I'll keep myself, Ash, and you safe. Any trouble that happens because of me, will be handled by me. End of discussion."_

"_But Sapphire-"_

"_End of discussion!" Sapphire shouted back, running out of the stadium. The blonde immediately shape shifted, before turning invisible and flying above the stadium._

_Knowing it would be futile to try and chase her, the blue haired teen sighed deeply, walking away from the restrooms. "I really hope you're right..."_

_**FLASHBACK END:**_

'No, I can't. It's not my story to tell. If anyone is going to reveal Sapphire's identity, it'll be Sapphire herself,' Dawn said to herself, taking back her seat next to the rest of the cheerleaders, before her eyes widened when she saw who Ash was battling with. 'What?! No way! She didn't!'

**Pallet Town**

"No way! Latias came back to Ash?!" Misty exclaimed, riling up everyone else's attention.

"Latias? The eon dragon?" Tracey questioned the red head, getting a nod in return.

"Mhm!" The Cerulean City gym leader confirmed. "We met her back in Altomare, in the Johto region!"

"Wow, you guys meet every legendary, don't you?" A Pallet Town native remarked, getting a sheepish nod from the red haired trainer.

"Hehe, yeah, but it's Ash who attracts them all!" Misty replied with a soft smile. "The idiot always finds a way to attract powerful pokemon! How he does it, I have no idea!"

"Neither do I, Misty!" The pokemon watcher added as they all turned their attention back to the television. "Neither do I."

Back to the battle...

"Alright Dusknoir! Start this off with **Trick Room**!" Conway ordered right off the bat, knowing damn well that this may or may not be the hardest battle of his career.

"Noir..." The ominous ghost type complied, forming a giant cube shaped structure around himself and his opponent, which meant that the slower pokemon moved first.

'Knowing Conway, I'd say this pokemon has status effects,' Ash said to himself, locking eyes with the eon dragon who was waiting for him to make a move. "Use **Safeguard** then **Calm Mind**!"

Nodding at her trainer's reasoning, Latias formed an angelically soft shield, which covered her entire body, leaving her unable to be statused. Then, the psychic type swiftly closed her eyes, before clearing her mind of anything negative, boosting her Special Attack and her Special Defense by one stage. She opened her eyes, noticing that her body was glowing with a pink sheen, before crying out in triumph.

"Now, **Shadow Punch**!" The green haired trainer ordered, putting a finger to his glasses.

The ghost type followed orders, moving at speeds unheard of from such a bulky pokemon, keen on landing a super effective hit on the opposing psychic dragon type. Latias, not even needing a command, quickly did a swift dodge, letting her opponent drive his fist into on of the walls created by Trick Room. Capitalizing on Dusknoir's slip, the eon dragon quickly charged up a **Shadow Ball**, releasing it on the hulking figure of her opponent.

"Dusknoir.." The ominous pokemon groaned, turning back around and facing his opponent, who had already retreated back to her side of the battlefield, idly cracking her neck to get more warmed up.

Conway merely stared at Ash, before smirking. "**Payback!**"

Dusknoir reacted without missing a beat, striking the eon dragon with a fist encased in dark type energy, dealing powerful super effective damage. Latias, not expecting the move, visibly recoiled when hit by the attack, showing that the move really stung, before giving herself space by blasting Dusknoir away with another **Shadow Ball**, sending the ghost reeling.

'Interesting! **Payback **deals double the damage it normally does when the pokemon using it goes second, which is why it did so much more damage than I would have expected it to, considering Dusknoir used the attack right after Latias used **Shadow Ball**," Ash analyzed with a smirk, already enjoying this battle. It wasn't like the battle with Floatzel and Heracross, as it was much more technical.

"**Calm Mind **once more!" Ash ordered, knowing full well how bulky Dusknoir was. Legendary pokemon or not, Latias wasn't going to win by simply spamming **Shadow Ball **attacks.

The eon dragon once again closed her eyes, only to be interrupted as she sensed her opponent once again charging at her with a fist encased in powerful dark type energy. She immediately swerved out of the way, before Dusknoir spun in a circle with his fist still charged, grazing the psychic type's fur. Not liking that her fur was grazed, Latias immediately grabbed Dusknoir with **Psychic**, before throwing the ominous ghost type forwards with a powerful jerk of her neck, as she began to charge up another **Shadow Ball**. As Dusknoir was faster than his opponent because of **Trick Room**, the ghost immediately used **Protect**, causing the powerful orb of ghost type energy to bounce off the giant green shield.

"**Confuse Ray**! Follow that up with **Infestation**!" Conway commanded with another finger pressed on the bridge of his glasses.

Following orders swiftly, the ominous ghost type formed a flurry of bright yellow sound waves from his one eye, before releasing a giant horde of insects from his palms, shaping them into an endless stream, sending them straight to his opponent. Latias and Ash both saw the danger in the collision of these two attacks, as the **Confuse Ray **and **Infestation **attacks collided with each other, forming an extremely devastating combination move.

"**Protect**! Then use **Mist Ball **to separate the attacks!" The raven haired trainer ordered, not wanting anything to do with these two attacks.

Latias sought to comply with her dear trainer's orders, immediately forming a green shield in front of herself, which she hoped would block out both attacks, although that was not the case. The **Confuse Ray **was stopped, although the insects ate through her shield little by little, before making their way in. Charging up her signature attack in fright at having to deal with those gross bugs on her, the eon dragon quickly shot the attack from her mouth, separating the stream of insects into pieces, although they continued to chase after her, leading her to use even more **Mist Ball **attacks, slowly but surely getting rid of the bugs. Or so she thought. Some of the insects actually got in her fur when she wasn't noticing, considering their tiny sizes. The psychic type immediately felt an extreme itch, pestering her greatly, causing her to move around uncontrollably.

"No! Latias!" Ash exclaimed in worry, much to Conway's joy. 'There has to be something I can do! Maybe I can cause an illusion, fooling Conway to think that Latias is gone! That's it!'

"Perfect! Now finish this with **Shadow Punch**!" Conway exclaimed, shining his glasses with a smirk.

"No thanks! Latias! Vanish!" The raven haired teen ordered with a grin, confusing his opponent.

Latias smiled through the painful itch, as she noticed that **Trick Room **had faded, before disappearing from thin air. Dusknoir, as thoroughly confused as his trainer, looked around in a daze. He could hear no vibrations from the ground, since his opponent could levitate. He heard no motions from the air either, leading him to believe that the eon dragon truly had vanished.

After a couple of tense moments, the referee, having no clue if the pokemon was truly gone, hesitantly raised his flags. "As Latias is no longer present at the stadium, this means that the winner of this battle is-"

"**Psychic!**" Ash exclaimed with a clenched fist, as Dusknoir was immediately levitated in place by the same force field that held Shuckle in place, the only difference being that Dusknoir was in pain.

"What?!" Conway shouted in confusion, still seeing no sign of the eon dragon. "W-Where is she?"

Happy because of the way this match was going, and also because of the gobsmacked face of his opponent, Ash was now the one smirking. He was going to have fun with this. "Send Dusknoir up in the air!"

Latias, although invisible, nodded her agreement. Using her powerful psychic type energy, the eon dragon swiftly launched her opponent into the air with another jerk of the neck like it was nothing, surprising the ghost type so much that he couldn't counter it. Following the currently ascending pokemon, Latias quickly got in front of him, ready to finish this once and for all.

"Send him back down with **Dragon Pulse**!" The raven haired teen ordered next, throwing his arm downwards.

Following orders smoothly, the psychic type quickly charged up the powerful dragon type attack, before pushing it downwards towards her opponent, causing it to explode on Dusknoir, before sending him downwards towards the battlefield. As the ghost type crashed into the battlefield, the eon dragon quickly followed suit, arcing herself to swoop downwards, keen on getting a last move on him.

"No! Dusknoir!" The glasses wearing trainer exclaimed in worry, for once losing his cool in the match. This was nearly impossible to beat, as he had no idea where his opponent's pokemon was. Seeing his pokemon slowly rise up gave him hope, although Ash's next command downright crushed it.

"Finish this now! **Draco Meteor**!" Ash shouted, smiling gleefully. This was about to be his first win with Latias! It was also, his first win with one of his legendaries, and his first win with someone who cared so much about him. The feeling he was experienced at the moment, could not get any better.

Cooing out in determination, Latias charged up the powerful attack in her mouth, letting it grow to the size of a basketball, before letting it explode onto the battlefield in a flurry of powerful dragon type energy. The attack rained on Dusknoir, as the ghost type tried his best to protect himself from the attack, although not even **Protect **would have been strong enough to take so many of these orbs.

"NOIR!" Dusknoir cried out in intense pain, each attack hurting even more than the last. The more he got hit, the less he tried to defend. After a couple moments of excruciating resistance, the bulky ghost type just couldn't take it anymore. "Noir..."

Seeing that her work was done, Latias made herself known once more, becoming visible again in front of Ash, who smiled at her kindly, which she returned. To Ash and everyone else, it looked like she hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Latias is the winner! Conway! Please send out your next pokemon!"

* * *

The battle continued, although no one would have expected the result. The trainer known as Ash Ketchum defeated his opponent, Conway, with little to no effort with his recently revealed pokemon, Latias. The pokemon was able to swiftly defeat the rest of Conway's pokemon, namely a Slowking, a Lickylicky, and an Aggron, shocking everyone present at the stadium, and those watching at home. Ash, the supposed owner of the powerful pokemon, quickly departed, apparently not wanting to deal with people asking him so many questions. Instead, after shaking hands with his defeated opponent, the trainer gave a quick salute to everyone watching, before departing in peace.

Lily of the Valley Pokemon Center

The trainers who weren't currently battling, were able to watch many of the Conference's matches from the giant televisions present in the Main Hall section of the Pokemon Center, and boy, were they surprised when they watched a certain trainer's match.

"Amazing," Barry remarked idly, in complete wonder as to how Ash knew that powerful beast of a pokemon, which completely obliterated Conway's Dusknoir, along with the rest of his pokemon. "Did you know about this, Bianca?"

The aforementioned trainer who was sat next to him shook her head. "I had no idea! Ash never mentioned having this pokemon! Heck, I know he told me that he interacted a ton of times with legendaries, but this is ridiculous!"

"It seems that even with his strategies, Conway still couldn't get past this beautiful behemoth of a pokemon," Nando commented, tuning his harp gently, being sure to not mess up as he would have to start over if he did.

Paul, who had been watching the battle from afar, had his eyes widened as well. 'Ketchum has never ceased to surprise since this conference started. I wonder what else he has in store.' Taking once last look at the television, the Veilstone City native grabbed his single strapped backpack, throwing it over his back, before exiting the facility.

An unknown male, who had been watching the match as well, put an intrigued finger on his chin. "It seems that I need to keep on eye on this _Ash Ketchum_. Seeing that he owns one of the most powerful pokemon ever to exist, better known as a Legendary, leads me to believe that this trainer is not like others." He looked away from the television afterwards, before walking away.

**Mt. Quena**

After Ash had swiftly grabbed Dawn, and they had made it to Lily of the Valley Forest, the two trainers were immediately teleported by Mewtwo to their training spot. The two teens then released all of their pokemon, letting them do what they wanted for a while.

"Phew, thank god I don't have to deal with all those people asking me questions," Ash sighed. "It sucks that I had to leave everyone else though."

"You'll tell them about Latias eventually, right?" Dawn questioned, rubbing the aforementioned pokemon's fur. "I'd say now is better than never since well, everyone knows you have her now."

Latias cooed in agreement, laying her head down. She didn't want to come off as tired, but honestly, she was spent. Taking on four pokemon, let alone four powerful pokemon, was _not _as easy as it sounded. That Dusknoir would have had her if it weren't for her unique vanishing ability, which meant that not only would she be invisible, that she could also be as silent as a ninja, only making noise when she wanted to. If she chose to execute all of her attacks silently, it wouldn't have looked as believable that she was indeed there.

Either way, she was glad it was over, and that she had fulfilled what she wanted to fulfill. She had managed to save Floatzel and his opponent, Shuckle, and she had also managed to prove to Ash just how far her care went for him, while also being a good pokemon to her trainer and fighting to the best of her ability, successfully getting Ash to the Top 16.

Sensing her tiredness, Ash smiled at the tired dragon, rubbing her head softly. "Take all the rest you want, you deserve it." He returned the slowly recovering pokemon, kissing her poke ball before putting it on his necklace.

"And yeah, I'll tell everyone when I have the chance to. Apparently, Mewtwo and Charizard have something to discuss with me," The Pallet Town native replied, smiling at the blue haired teen before doing a double-take. "You didn't change out of your cheerleader outfit?"

Dawn scowled at her raven haired companion. "Don't accuse me of not changing! You're the one who dragged me away to come here without a moment's notice!"

"Oh, right," The raven haired teen retorted sheepishly. "But hey, desperate times come for desperate measures!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say," The Twinleaf Town native muttered with a pout, crossing her arms.

"Aw come on, cheer up!" Ash urged with a smile, wrapping his arms around the beautiful teen.

"Mm-mm," Dawn looked away from him, obviously feigning anger.

"Please, for me?" Ash begged, turning her head and pouting at her, successfully making her look at him. As she continued to look into his eyes, a new thought popped into her head.

"Hey Ash," The blue haired teen stated distantly, looking downwards, confusing the other teen.

"Yeah? Something wrong?" The Pallet Town native replied gently, caressing her hair. She had not acted like this in a long while, so the change in emotions really didn't make sense to him.

"W-What, what are we? Relationship wise?" Dawn asked softly, finally looking him in the eye, surprising him with how emotional her gaze was.

Hearing this question plus seeing the look in her eye, made Ash remember something. Something Gary taught him about relationships.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_Alright Ash, I think I've taught you as much as you need to know about relationships, what's good to say, and what's not good to say," Gary remarked, patting his friend's shoulder._

"_Thanks! I really appreciate-"_

"_Although," The brunette interrupted, putting up his index finger. "There is, one last thing."_

"_Really? What is it?" Ash questioned, knowing that this must be important._

"_If Dawn or Sapphire ever ask you this question, "What are we?", then don't answer them in words. Answer them with actions. Show them how you feel about them with only your body language, not your words. When the time comes, you'll know what to do."_

"_But what does that mean-"_

"_You'll know what to do," Gary repeated simply, before opening the door to Ash's room and leaving._

_As his ex-rival left the room, Ash sat down on his bed, pondering to himself. 'I'll know what to do?'_

**FLASHBACK END:**

'I'll know what to do,' Ash said to himself, breaking out of his thoughts. 'I really hope I'm doing the right thing.'

Noticing that Ash hadn't said anything, Dawn hoped that she hadn't put him in a bad situation. "Ash, are you okay-" She tried to ask him if he was alright, before her breath was taken away from her.

Ash immediately wrapped his arms around her, putting in all the passion and love he could muster into this one kiss, all the while closing his eyes. Dawn immediately returned it once she got her senses back, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel the sheer heat from Ash's mouth, spurring her on even more, leading to her running her hands through his hair. Feeling the blue haired teen's soft hands knock over his hat, lead the teen to put his hands into her hair as well, feeling great passion from running his hands through her silky locks. Taking one hand out of her hair and putting it onto her cheek, Ash caressed her face, her soft skin reminding him all the times he admired her face, which he was currently having all to himself. The minds of the two teens were currently running on overdrive, as Ash and Dawn found themselves in what could be thought of as absolute bliss.

* * *

Mewtwo, who was coming over with Charizard to see if Ash was ready to have their discussion, was immediately blown back, as the sheer _emotion _he was feeling from their area was just too much. To say that the force of this emotion was stronger than the first time he felt their emotions back at the Forest, was an understatement.

'Arceus! What's happening over there that's causing all this force!' Charizard grunted, looking over at the psychic type for an answer.

**'I have no idea! I assume it's Ash and Dawn, but the force is so much greater than it was the previous time!' **Mewtwo responded, squinting to see what was going on.

After seeing what they were up to, the legendary only had one thought in his mind. **'I think we should leave them alone for a while.'**

'Why is that?' Charizard retorted with a curious expression, not having a clue what was going on as his eyesight wasn't up to par to Mewtwo's.

**'Trust me, I think that Ash would get very angry if we interrupted them currently,' **The psychic type said simply, leading the fire type back to where they came from.

'But what about the discuss-'

**'Let's go,' **Mewtwo urged, dragging Charizard away with **Psychic**. **'We can talk about it afterwards.'**

The fire type groaned, but relented. He wasn't stupid. He knew that something was going on if Mewtwo would be so persistent to leave them alone.

'Alright, fine...' Charizard retorted with a sigh, letting himself be levitated away.

* * *

The two teens finally broke the kiss, breathing heavily. The two stared at each other, before blushing furiously.

"W-Well, I hope that answers your question," Ash said with a nervous rub of his head as he fixed his scarf, still having the taste of Dawn's strawberry chap stick on his lips.

"Y-Yeah! I think it does!" Dawn replied, fixing her scarf also, before adjusting her beanie as well. "Your hat is over there, by the way."

The teen looked behind him, finding the baseball cap and grabbing it. "Thanks." The Pallet Town native put it on, before smiling at the blue haired teen.

"You know what? Maybe I _am_ ready to call you my girlfriend," Ash declared after a couple moments, before being glomped in a giant hug.

"Really?! That's amazing!" Dawn exclaimed in glee, giggling all the while she suffocated the other teen. After a second, she stopped, as a new thought appeared in her mind. "But what about Sapphire?"

Ash thought about that as well, before coming to a conclusion. "Sapphire cares about me so much, and I do too, but we simply aren't at the level you and I are. I know that she loves me, and I do too to an extent, but we just aren't so advanced in our relationship where we can have a make out session like we just did. So really, I do like Sapphire, and I do want to consider her my girlfriend, but I think it'll take time for that to happen."

As soon as Ash finished his sentence, one of his poke balls opened, revealing the eon dragon, who immediately changed into her human form, simultaneously grabbing her whiteboard from Dawn's bag.

Before the raven haired teen could say anything, the blonde wrote a message on the whiteboard, showing it to the two teens.

"_I understand Ash. Even though I do love you, I get that you don't want to move so fast and ruin everything we currently have. I agree with you that if we take time, we'll be at a perfect level for the both of us. I don't mind if you and Dawn are at a higher level of relationship, as it makes sense since you two have bonded since you've met one another, and I've gotten back into your life just last month. I really hope that one day, you can consider me your girlfriend as well, but for now, I'll take being one of your pokemon and also one of your closest companions over anything in the world."_

"I promise you, that it'll happen at some point," Ash assured, hugging the blonde, which was immediately returned. "But for now, I'll take what I can get. You're a very powerful pokemon, and I'm eternally grateful for you to be by my side. Today, as a pokemon and good friend, and tomorrow, who knows!"

Sapphire smiled sweetly at his words, nodding energetically. Dawn grinned at the two, bringing them in a hug of her own, creating a triple hug.

As the two females laughed into the warm embrace, Ash couldn't help but smile. 'My life is looking up, and I'm so glad! Like Sapphire said, I'd take this over anything in the world!'

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I have to say, I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out to be, because honestly, this is how I wanted it to be from the start, in terms of the pairings. But alas, my dumb self just wanted to get a nice love triangle up. Either way, in my opinion, I think that what I did in this chapter is much, much better than what I originally did in the first couple chapters.**

**Also, I know that I kind of rushed the Conway battle, but I simply had to. If I didn't, I probably would have spent another month fretting on whether or not I'd write out the whole battle correctly, because well, that's what happened last time.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, you lovely readers you.**

**Thanks for reading, and see ya!**


	18. A Blast From the Past: Part One

**Hey guys it's me, Jay1414 finally back with another installment to my story, Reason. I won't make any excuses, so all I can say is sorry for taking so long to update.**

**To remedy that, I'm going to make sure that I update a chapter at ****_least _****weekly, or earlier if I can.**

**Anyways, thank you for all your reviews, favorites, and follows, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**"Dialogue"**

**'Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

**Pokemon Moves**

**"Mewtwo's Speech"**

**'Mewtwo's Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

_"Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

**_Last time on Reason:_**

_As soon as Ash finished his sentence, one of his poke balls opened, revealing the eon dragon, who immediately changed into her human form, simultaneously grabbing her whiteboard from Dawn's bag._

_Before the raven haired teen could say anything, the blonde wrote a message on the whiteboard, showing it to the two teens._

_"I understand Ash. Even though I do love you, I get that you don't want to move so fast and ruin everything we currently have. I agree with you that if we take time, we'll be at a perfect level for the both of us. I don't mind if you and Dawn are at a higher level of relationship, as it makes sense since you two have bonded since you've met one another, and I've gotten back into your life just last month. I really hope that one day, you can consider me your girlfriend as well, but for now, I'll take being one of your pokemon and also one of your closest companions over anything in the world."_

_"I promise you, that it'll happen at some point," Ash assured, hugging the blonde, which was immediately returned. "But for now, I'll take what I can get. You're a very powerful pokemon, and I'm eternally grateful for you to be by my side. Today, as a pokemon and good friend, and tomorrow, who knows!"_

_Sapphire smiled sweetly at his words, nodding energetically. Dawn grinned at the two, bringing them in a hug of her own, creating a triple hug._

_As the two females laughed into the warm embrace, Ash couldn't help but smile. 'My life is looking up, and I'm so glad! Like Sapphire said, I'd take this over anything in the world!'_

* * *

**Chapter 18: A Blast From the Past: Part One**

"Side step the **Ice Beam **and retaliate with **Thunderbolt!**" Ash ordered, noticing immediately how Pikachu's speed had increased significantly. The speed training he had gotten from Mewtwo had definitely benefited his battling ability.

The electric mouse quickly shifted his weight in the opposite side of where the chilling ice type attack was going to land, hearing the ground under him freeze into a multitude of sharp, frozen shards. After regaining his footing, Pikachu swiftly collected a hefty amount of electricity from his cheek pouches, quickly discharging the energy into a compressed beam aimed right at his opponent, Dawn's Piplup.

"Counter the attack with **Hydro Pump!**" Dawn commanded, grinning at her opponent, getting a confident smile in return.

The tiny penguin nodded, taking a deep breath and releasing a compressed stream of aquatic energy, effectively clashing with the electric type attack and creating a plume of smoke that enveloped the two pokemon.

After the smoke had cleared, Ash stifled a yawn, putting a hand over his mouth nonchalantly. "I think that's enough, don't you think so?"

Dawn put a hand through her hair, agreeing with her raven haired companion. "It's getting late, you'll need as much rest as you can get, Ash."

The two trainers returned their pokemon, with Pikachu obviously not going into his poke ball and instead favoring to hop on his trainer's shoulder. Ash smiled at the yellow rodent, giving him a small congratulatory rub on the head, which made the mouse very pleased. "Your speed has improved immensely buddy! Now, how about we go take a rest?"

Pikachu was all but begging for that, letting out a soft squeal of his name in agreement. The teen merely chuckled, as they were all surrounded by a wave of psychic type energy, teleporting them back to Lily of the Valley, courtesy of Mewtwo.

* * *

Later that night, Ash stared out at the multitude of shining stars in the night sky, smiling at their beauty, before sighing. It was late at night, a couple hours after he had confirmed his relationship with Dawn. Many things happened afterwards, including a couple newsflashes.

As Charizard had told him, translated by Mewtwo, Gengar was all but ready to become his pokemon, although he had to visit Sabrina in Saffron prior to being able to claim the haughty ghost type as his own. That was logical, as Sabrina had took care of Gengar for many, many years, it was only right to let him keep her company until Ash was back home in Kanto. In all honesty, even though Ash was eager to reunite with his silly friend, there were far more important things at hand for him at the moment.

He had mentioned it when he was sparring with Dawn, but there was one main thing that was giving him some stress. The fact that the whole world knew that he owned a Legendary pokemon. Now things were becoming a little more complicated. He couldn't blame Latias for wanting to battle with him against Conway, although he wished that people would be a little more considerate. Him owning a 'Legendary' changed him in no way whatsoever. He was still himself, still Ash. He didn't need the extra attention.

Now that he thought about it, he wondered how his friends back home thought about this. He had already had plenty of interactions with his friends and rivals, with the former being ecstatic for him, and the latter being understanding although slightly intimidated. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at that thought, remembering the spooked expression of Barry when Latias tried to approach him to greet him. The blonde had never looked more afraid.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the opening of the balcony door. Ash turned around, only to see his good friend and brother in anything but blood, Brock.

"You must have a lot on your mind, I assume," The brown haired adolescent stated, before joining his companion, silently placing his palms on the bars of the balcony.

"Yeah, you bet it," Ash replied with another sigh, putting a hand through his hat-less hair. "I didn't want the public, no the whole world to know about me having Latias, as now it's going to cause us unnecessary problems down the line." Latias may not have felt the uncomfortable atmosphere, although he certainly did.

Brock nodded thoughtfully, putting a hand to his chin. "I can understand your frustration, but you have to realize that this would have happened at some point. Keeping secrets for long periods of time result in very painful withdrawals, so it was best that it was broken sooner rather than later."

"Like how my secret relationship with Dawn and Sapphire was broken?" Ash questioned with a bitter chuckle, remembering how irritated that made him.

"Exactly. It may have stung at first, but the heavy feeling rising off your shoulders felt relieving, didn't it?"

The raven haired teen mulled it over, before nodding, realizing that Brock was right. It was better for it to happen now, as any later may have been even worse. "I guess so. You're always right, aren't you perv?"

Brock smiled, before raising an eyebrow. "Well I try, and who're you calling a perv?"

"Oh that's right," Ash recalled with a snap of his fingers, chuckling at his friend's misfortune. "You have Lucy now. Say, what are you and her going to do after I'm done with the League? Any ideas?"

"Actually, I'm glad that you asked me that. Believe it or not, but I plan to move in with her and study Pokemon Medicine, as I've finally realized my dream."

The teen turned to his brown haired friend, his hair shaking as he did so, an ecstatic expression on his face. "Oh-ho! Is that so? What would your dream be then Brock? Best Womanizer? Breeder Champion? Am I hitting the nail on the head or no?"

"Ha ha," Brock replied humorously, before growing slightly more serious. "You were close, but no. My dream, is to become a Pokemon Doctor. It's something that's been eating at my mind for a while, but I didn't know when exactly was the best time to act on it. Now that I have Lucy kindly waiting on me, I feel like now is the best time to pursue it." He stared off into the nocturnal atmosphere, idly tapping his fingers on the bars of the balcony.

"I totally understand. You can kind of relate with me, can't you? You've decided that sooner is better than later to pursue your dream, while I unfortunately didn't get to choose when I wanted to expose my secret, but I'm glad now that it happened," Ash admitted, patting his companion's back before looking back at the view that the Lily of the Valley Pokemon Center gave him. He felt significantly more relaxed, and definitely calmer.

"Hey Brock," he stated softly, looking over at his brown haired friend.

"Yeah Ash?" Brock replied gently, glancing at the teen from the corner of his eye.

"Thanks."

* * *

It was finally morning. The Top 16 was just waiting for him. Ash rose up and stretched, hearing a satisfying pop as he did so. Rising out of bed, he noticed that Brock was absent, which was typical of the brown haired trainer to always be out of the room by at least 8. He chuckled as he assumed that Brock was talking to Lucy. The breeder had definitely matured since he and her hooked up, which made Ash smile. He was more than happy for his friend. He looked over at the clock in the middle of his and Brock's beds, before scratching his head. It was 8:13 AM, rather early for his standards, he had to admit. All the morning training sessions with Mewtwo had made him accustomed to waking up much earlier than he would have usually preferred, which was definitely a positive thing, although quite shocking to him nonetheless. He knew full well that none of his past companions would even begin to believe that he actually become a morning person. He looked over at the sleeping beauty adjacent to him who was currently in a deep slumber, holding on to his starter and best buddy, who was also deep inside his own ketchup filled dreams. "Oh Sapphire, or Latias, or whatever. Even though your 'legendary' exposure has put a lot of stress on us,-though mostly me-, I can't find it in my heart to be even the least bit upset with you. Maybe it's the eyes, but who knows. As of now, I'm just happy that you're here with me and that you're safe." He smiled at the blonde, before kissing her cheek, eliciting an unconscious smile from her.

This reminded him of the first time he and Sapphire had shared this very bed. On some weird impulse, he had kissed her cheek that day as well, yet now, he was glad that he had done so. She was just so special to him now. Even though he had to deal with all the complications that were laid in front of him as of now, he knew that they would get through it together. With that positive thought in mind, Ash rose out of bed, heading to the bathroom to get washed up and ready for the day.

After showering and getting dressed, the teen nudged his loyal starter, before nudging the snoozing blonde as well. Sapphire woke up first, looking up at Ash with sleepy, curious eyes, before they narrowed as her lips stretched into a smile, matching the one that her dear friend/trainer was giving her. Pikachu was slightly more annoyed when he awoke, although that was typical, but the mouse was still cheery even though he was clearly tired.

"Come on sleepyheads! I know it's early, but the earlier you two get ready, the earlier we get to eat!" Ash encouraged the two with a cheeky smile, before dodging the pillow thrown at him. He picked up the pillow, before throwing it back at a giggling Sapphire, a jokingly unamused expression on his face. "Well then, I'll meet you guys at the Cafeteria, I'll go get Dawn." He exchanged a warm embrace with the blonde, before grabbing the rest of his gear and leaving the room.

* * *

Ash knocked on the room of his girlfriend and his mother, waiting patiently for whoever was available to open the door. He didn't have to wait long, smiling as he heard his mother cheerfully ask who was at the door.

"It's me Mom!" The door opened immediately, an arm guiding him inside before wrapping around his shoulder.

"How are you, my son? I haven't had a chance to thoroughly speak to you, what with all the training and such," she stated rather formally, getting an energetic nod from her only child.

"I've been great! Although, the unneeded publicity is...more than flattering. But otherwise, I'm living an awesome life! I've got a beautiful girlfriend, loyal friends and family, and the best group of pokemon I could ever ask for!" He cringed slightly when he heard a high-pitched squeal elicited by his gushing mother.

"Oh, that's so sweet! Dawn's your girlfriend now?" Delia cooed, excitedly clapping her hands together. "When can I expect grandchildren? Any rough estimations?"

Ash made a run for the door, before his mother grabbed him by the arm. He struggled in her tight grip, not wanting to talk about this right now. Delia calmed him down by stroking his hair, softly shushing him in a way that only a mother could.

"Settle down Ash, I was just messing with you. In all seriousness, it was about time that you got a girlfriend! I was beginning to get worried that you were too oblivious for these kinds of things!"

"Well," he admitted sheepishly, characteristically rubbing the back of his head. "I was, but I guess you could say that Brock broke me out of it. Considering the number of times he's gotten rejected over the years, I had to learn about it at some point. Anyways, is Dawn asleep?"

His mother merely moved out of the way, showing a flushed, embarrassed version of his companion and girlfriend. 'So she heard all of that?' Ash said to himself, giving her a nervous smile.

She simply giggled at him, finding his nervousness cute. "Well Delia, we'll be going now." She grabbed Ash by the hand, opening the door with the other.

Delia smiled giddily at the two. Good for Ash to find a woman who cared about him. "Alright then! See you soon!~"

After Dawn had closed the door, she turned to her raven haired companion. "A beautiful girlfriend huh?" she teased, grinning as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"The most beautiful, I might add," Ash replied smoothly with a wink, making her blush profusely. He made a mental note to thank Gary later.

"When did you become such a sweet talker?" Dawn questioned dreamily, sighing into his embrace as they walked down the hall at a leisurely pace.

They arrived in front of the staircase, walking down the steps slowly as Ash replied, "I guess you could say I've been educated in the art of Romance." She raised an eyebrow at that.

"Brock telling you that every woman is beautiful is not the art of Romance."

Ash chuckled at that. Brock would have a field day with all these jabs at him. "Ha ha, it was actually him and Gary who gave me some advice, though mostly Gary. I've known him since I was a baby, and even though he was mostly a jerk when I first started my journey as a trainer, he grew out of it and now he's one of my closest friends. Thanks to him, I understand females as a whole much better, and I've learned that the ones you care about should always be treated with kindness and respect. It's something that I've always known, but now it's more genuine."

Dawn had to give some props to Gary. He may act like an arrogant snob most of the time, but the guy seemed to be more than just that. "Well that's a good thing. Anyways, are Pikachu and Sapphire still asleep?"

"No, I simply let them get ready on their own while I went to get you," Ash replied as they entered the cafeteria, finding an empty table and placing their belongings on it to mark their place. "I've got a plan for today's match, which I think everyone will enjoy." He grinned deviously as they entered the line.

* * *

"I'm really glad you called Ash!" Tracy exclaimed, straightening a stack of papers on a desk. "Your pokemon have gotten restless watching you destroy trainers on TV! A little too restless, I must say."

Ash chuckled at that. "I'm sure. So, I've decided to leave my Sinnoh team here for a little while so I can have a match with 6 of my pokemon from the lab. How does that sound?" Tracey's eyes lit up immediately, a grateful smile on his face.

"That's perfect! Who do you want to bring?" The pokemon watcher questioned, turning on the poke ball transfer machine.

"I'd like Glalie, Bulbasaur, Corphish, Donphan, Bayleef, and Cyndaquil for now." He felt slightly bad that he couldn't take everyone, but these pokemon that he had chosen deserved to battle.

Tracey nodded, leaving Ash's view as he went to collect the pokemon. After a couple of minutes, he returned with six shrunken poke balls in his hands. He enlarged them and put them on the poke ball transporter, as Ash did the same.

He was sending back Infernape, Floatzel, Staraptor, Gliscor, Gabite, and Torterra for the time being. Ash had already spoken with them, and although they were disappointed they had to leave all of a sudden, they were glad to know it wasn't for long, about a day or two at most. After the poke balls were switched, Tracey smirked at Ash, making him raise his eyebrow.

Before he could ask what was up, the pokemon watcher chuckled. "Trust me Ash, you'll be quite impressed with the state of your six pokemon. That's all I'll say for now. Good luck in your upcoming match!" Tracey ended the call before he could even reply.

"Damn pokemon watcher," Ash sighed, kind of annoyed that Tracey was being so cryptic. He stared at the six poke balls in his hands, before clenching his fingers around them.

He released the six immediately, his eyes widening as he stared at them one by one. He was about to speak, until he was hit with the force of a thousand suns, being thrown off his feet and onto the floor of the Pokemon Center, catching the attention of everyone near. He locked eyes with the six pokemon that were currently squishing him, giving them a toothy grin that made five of them smile, and one of them...blush? Ignoring that for now, he patted each pokemon lightly so he could get up, brushing himself off. They rose up as well and stood in a horizontal line, or in Glalie's case floated, in front of their dear trainer. Ash gave off a savage grin as he realized how much fun this next match was going to be. He had six pokemon, no six beasts ready to destroy his next opponent and give the audience a good show.

Ash put out his hand, motioning for everyone to do the same. They complied, with Glalie once again being the odd one out as he simply gestured with one of his horns. "Let's win today, guys! Even if you don't win your personal battles, we'll all still win the match, I promise!" They all cried out in agreement, before growing savage grins of their own. The teen smiled at that, clenching his fist. 'It's time.'

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**I know this chapter is short compared to others but I wanted to get this done as soon as possible. I'm in school now but I doubt it'll hinder my time very much. I intend for this to go up on Monday, September 7th, and the next one to be up either the following Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or next Monday at latest. **

**Thanks for reading, please let me know of any spelling/grammar mistakes so I can fix them immediately and I hope you all have a great day.**


	19. A Blast From the Past: Part Two

**Hey guys, it's Jay1414 here back with another wonderful installment to this story. The weekly schedule just did not work with me unfortunately. Just for the sake of my readers, I won't have a set schedule anymore, I'll simply update whenever I can.**

**I've taken the time to read all of my reviews, so I could reflect and use all of my inspiration to write so that my readers would have great things to read.**

**That being said, I just wanted to give my commendations to some of the people whose stories I've read and gotten inspiration from, these people who have also read/are reading this story.**

**Special shoutouts to Aurorabeam Corporation, Reborn Dark Phoenix, Samster687, Selet, Syrup-Waffle, TheSilverboar, W.R. Winters, aboz567, stars90, and Lightningblade49. Please, if you have the time, check out their stories and tell them how much of a good job they're doing. They deserve it.**

**I wanted to answer reviews, but damn, there are too many lol. Sorry, I guess it's my punishment for being inconsistent.**

**Oh, and one last thing I noticed from the reviews. The Cyndaquil that evolved in Chapter 12 was Dawn's Cyndaquil. Ash's Cyndaquil was never taken out of the lab until now. Just wanted to make that clear.**

**Also uh, I have a new story out. Y-Yeah, a new story. It even has two chapters already….so y'know, if you're interested…..Advanceshipping and Pokesilvershipping….just a heads up…..okay fine it's a shameless plug-in. But can you blame me? Who else is going to advertise it? …..Exactly.**

**Update 3/23/16, I am back, with a new computer and new ideas! Thank you to those who gave suggestions and advice, I appreciate you all.**

**Now that I got that out of the way, here's the next chapter, enjoy, and thank you for all your favorites, follows and reviews.**

**"Dialogue"**

**'Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

**Pokemon Moves**

**"Mewtwo's Speech"**

'**Mewtwo's Thoughts/Pokespeech'**

_"Sapphire's Whiteboard"_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.**

* * *

_Last time on Reason:_

_Ash put out his hand, motioning for everyone to do the same. They complied, with Glalie once again being the odd one out as he simply gestured with one of his horns. "Let's win today, guys! Even if you don't win your personal battles, we'll all still win the match, I promise!" They all cried out in agreement, before growing savage grins of their own. The teen smiled at that, clenching his fist. 'It's time.'_

* * *

**Chapter 19: A Blast From the Past: Part Two**

Six powerful pokemon. Pokemon that he hadn't even known existed. They stared at him with a look of uncertainty, questioning if he was a threat or not. He raised his hands up immediately, chuckling sheepishly as they did not waver.

"I'm Tracey, Professor Oak's assistant, and the current housekeeper of the Oak Laboratory. Ash sent you all here to relax for a little while, correct?" They nodded slowly, before slowly creeping over to him in a manner that spooked him greatly. The pokemon watcher began to shake slightly, silently hoping that they weren't about to use him as a practice dummy. The closer they approached, the more his nerves increased. When they finally were a couple feet away from him, he shut his eyes fearfully, putting his hands in front of him in defense, before he heard six plops on the ground. Opening his eyes hesitantly, he was completely dumfounded to find them all sat in front of him, patiently waiting to be fed. Sighing in relief, he nodded to them, going inside to assemble the food. 'I guess I can't forget that these are Ash's pokemon, always looking for food first.'

"It's almost time guys, don't worry," Ash stated, taking off his hat and fanning himself with it. They were in Ash's temporary trainer room, waiting semi-patiently for their turn to battle, though many of them were beginning to get restless. It was also rather hot in the room, which didn't help in the slightest. Considering that Ash was wearing a scarf just made it worse. Of course, his fire type starter from Johto could care less about the heat, but even he was getting bored of waiting.

After he had almost fallen asleep, the light on top of the door finally turned green, signaling it was finally his turn. Rising up immediately, he returned all six of his pokemon, stretching out his neck as he closed the door behind him. Putting his hands in his pockets, he walked down the empty corridor, as his match was the last one of the day, noticing how the light became gradually brighter, and the roars of the crowd got louder by the second. Stifling a yawn, he pushed open the door at the end of the hallway, his eyes widening in delight as he saw the crowd, as well as the announcer. He heard his name being announced almost instantly, which woke him up immediately and got him excited to battle.

"Hello one and all to the final battle of the Top 16 of the Lily of the Valley Conference!" The announcer exclaimed, getting a deafening roar from the crowd, each one of them showing their excitement and support to the two trainers who were about to face off. "Now without further adieu, on the red side we have Nando from Floraroma Town, and on the green side we have Ash from Pallet Town!"

Walking through the door with a confident grin on his face, he waved cheerfully at the crowd and winked at the cheerleaders, riling them up as they giggled and squealed about him. Dawn and Sapphire were in the group as well, but they were used to it so they simply smiled adoringly at him.

Although the cheers of the crowd were so loud he could barely think, Ash could still hear the cheers from his friends and family, cheering him on from their spot, smack dab in the middle of the stadium, holding up tiny signs that had either his face or his name, or in his dear mother's case, a headband. He smiled confidently, feeling the pulses from all of his poke balls, as if they were giving him support from their capsules.

He walked on to the stage, hearing the crowd getting even more hyped up, as he locked eyes with his opponent, the silent, peaceful adolescent known as Nando. He had only just recently found out that he was scheduled to face Nando an hour after getting his pokemon from Tracey, though he thankfully had time to study him since his match was the last one of the day.

Nando immediately walked to the center, as did Ash as they seized each other up.

"I expect a very challenging battle from you, Ash," he stated, smiling with a calm demeanor on his face. Although, the fiery aura in his eyes showed that he wasn't going to hold back.

"Of course! And I expect the same from you. I know you have chosen to do contests as well as battles, so I hope to see some really interesting strategies from you," Ash replied with a smirk, using an arm to gesture to the audience. "Let's give them a show, shall we?"

Slightly taken aback from the air of confidence emitting from his opponent, Nando nodded collectedly. "We shall. May the best man win."

They shook hands and exchanged nods to the referee before making their way to their respective sides of the battlefield. The referee grabbed his flags, raising them together in a swift motion, ready to begin the battle. "This is a 6-on-6 battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Nando of Floraroma Town! Substitutions are allowed at any time! When 6 pokemon on either side are unable the battle, the winner is decided! Trainers, please send out your first pokemon!"

Ash gave off a large grin, before taking off a poke ball from his belt and enlarging it, releasing it onto the battlefield with a rapid flick of his wrist, giving off a shout of "Let's do this, Bulbasaur!"

The grass type Kanto starter appeared in a bright flash of light, landing on the battlefield in a proud stance, letting loose a fierce call of his name. "Bulbasaur!"

"Armaldo! Come forth my friend!" Nando commanded, releasing the bulky dual bug and rock type. Armaldo gave off a battle cry before it stared down its opponent, knowing not to underestimate an opponent, no matter its size.

Professor Oak's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, seeing his lab's peacekeeper on the field, his mind imagining it as if it was a fantasy. Shaking his head to get his mind back at what was at hand, he only had one thing on his mind. How many more pokemon did Ash take from the lab?

"Ash has the first move! Battle, begin!" The referee announced, throwing down his flags as the audience surrounding the trainers, the ones watching and home, and even the ones spectating the match at the Pokemon Center were eager and anxious to see how this would go down.

"Let's start this off with **Grassy Terrain**!" Ash ordered, a plan already formulating in his head.

The grass poison type agreed, stomping his foot onto the ground, as multiple vines were released from the bulb on his back, covering the battlefield in a thick, dark green foliage, powering up Grass type moves and halving the effectiveness of some attacks against grass types as well.

"Very interesting," Nando observed with a respectful nod. "Armaldo, counter it with **Rain Dance!"**

The fossil pokemon executed the command perfectly, giving off a throaty roar, as a large rain cloud appeared above the battlefield, the cloud exuding a heavy storm, soaking the field completely, turning the grassy terrain into a swampy mess.

Staring at the murky water that was created, Ash instantly had an idea, snapping his fingers. "Into the water, Bulbasaur!"

"Follow him in!" Was the immediately retaliation from Nando, having a slight hunch of what his opponent was planning.

The two pokemon dived into the swampy waters, trying to find one another through the leaves and moist foliage. Bulbasaur held his breath, going deep under the swamps. Spotting his target, the small grass type picked up the pace, softly snorting out bubbles to preserve his breath. Suddenly, the water began to whirlpool around him, before Armaldo charged at him, who was caught off guard, striking Bulbasaur with a powerful **X-Scissor**, sending him straight into a thick piece of vine, his back bouncing off of it and pushing him further down the swamp.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, the grass type growled, using **Vine Whip **to grab his opponent, before using seemingly impossible strength to fling the dual bug and rock type out of the swamp, right in front of his trainer. Bulbasaur rose up as well, spitting out the water that had accumulated in his mouth.

Ash merely smirked as if this was normal, before giving out another command. "Trap him with **Leech Seed!" **

Bulbasaur released a plethora of seeds from the bulb on his back, directing them to his opponent, intent on getting back his well deserved health from that **X-Scissor.**

"**Protect, **then retaliate with** Stone Edge!"** The vines bounced off of the green shield formed by Armaldo, before disintegrating into the swamp. Suddenly, the dual bug and rock type summoned dozens of sharp, pointed stones that surrounded Armaldo in a stunning X, which orbited around his body, picking up speed each time they completed a full circle, before becoming so rapid that they were difficult to made his opponent and his trainer both widen their eyes. This was no ordinary **Stone Edge**. Meanwhile, Nando merely gave off a gentle smile, the hat adorning his head covering his eyes in a deep shadow.

Ash desperately attempted to swallow the lump of nervousness growing in his throat. Nando had to have been training extremely hard with his pokemon to be able to do something like this. He hated to say it, but he felt that the attack might overwhelm his Bulbasaur. The small grass type hasn't been training as rigorously as his other pokemon have, because he was the peacekeeper, as well as the pseudo father for all of the younger pokemon, especially since Professor Oak was absent from the lab, which meant that he had even less time to train. Maybe he had been too cocky. Maybe he shouldn't have brought the pokemon that he hasn't trained with Mewtwo yet. Was this a complete mistake? He felt bad thinking like this. He didn't want to doubt his pokemon's abilities, but there was a heavy chance that this could go awry, and he didn't want to risk Bulbasaur's health over being stubborn. He hadn't realized that Bulbasaur was trying to get his attention, until a sharp pain hit his lower thigh. Jolting upwards from the pain, he looked towards the small grass type, seeing a fire in his eyes that burned deeply, straight to his soul. His eyes widened even more. He wanted to do it. He wanted to face this head on.

"A-Are you sure about this, buddy?" Ash questioned hesitantly, getting a ferocious nod in return, as his inner conscious screamed at him to return Bulbasaur, but he tried his hardest to fight it off. He had to trust his pokemon, or they would never trust him.

Slowly, he gave off a shaky nod, swallowing his worries and hardening his features. He locked eyes with his opponent, giving off a glare so fierce it almost made Nando step back. Growing a cocky smirk, he chuckled arrogantly, cracking his fingers to relieve some tension from his hands. Bulbasaur's straight face turned into a grin, satisfied that his trainer finally regained his confidence.

Ash gave off a coy smile, feeling Mewtwo smirking as well, in his mind. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Let's get this show on the road, I've got a match to win!"

Deciding not to waste any more time, Nando made his move, his previous smile diminishing into a cold gaze. Now things were getting serious. "Release the attack! Full power!"

Armaldo narrowed his dark eyes dangerously, allowing each pointed stone to leave his body in a synchronized pattern, creating an X in the air, before they separated and made their way to it's target, honing in on the little grass type, keen on making contact with him like a magnet to a metal. Bulbasaur's almost murderous gaze inwardly frightened the bulky bug type, giving him a deep sense of fear. What did this tiny pokemon have planned?

"Dodge as many as you can! Use **Vine Whip **to send the remaining ones back!" Ash commanded, his mind completely focused on the battle at hand. If Bulbasaur wanted to go through with this, without fear, then he would too.

"Saur!" Was the deep growl that rumbled from the tiny grass type, his blood red eyes squinted, pinpointing where exactly each stone would land. Using his vines to launch himself into the air, Bulbasaur narrowly dodged the first stone that landed underneath him, before twisting his body in a 360 degree motion, utilizing the momentum from the spin to swiftly hop on to one of the stones, before using the rest of them as a walking path, performing flips and cartwheels to dodge and slip past each rock thrown at him, showing off an impressive skill of agility. Seeing that his trainer's plan wasn't working, Armaldo punched the ground with a clenched fist, making a colossal boulder protrude from the already damaged battlefield, before picking it up and hefting it towards his opponent with a guttural roar, keen on swatting this pesky flea who was avoiding all of his attacks.

'So it seems Armaldo is beginning to grow frustrated,' Ash pondered to himself, still incredibly amazed that Bulbasaur was so agile in the air. 'Now is the time to catch him in his stupor!'

"Bulbasaur! Get rid of that rock with **Razor Leaf**!" The small reptilian pokemon followed orders immediately, releasing several sharp leaves from the bulb on his back, only for the rock to fall straight to the ground, as a sharp, throbbing pain hit his lower body, his ruby eyes widening as he looked downwards, seeing nothing but a brightly glowing fist striking him in the gut, sending him several meters away.

Ash's eyes widened in fear as he pitifully watched his pokemon make his slow descent to the ground. 'How had that heavy boulder of a pokemon been able to move so quickly?' Suddenly, his blood ran cold as he made a realization. 'Armaldo had been able to move so fast because of Swift Swim! Why hadn't I realized that until now?!' He slowly turned his head to see how Bulbasaur was, his heart beating loudly against his chest as the small grass type gradually rose up from the ground, his teeth clenched with pain and eyes narrowed in frustration. That attack had hurt like a bitch.

Ash could practically feel the sullen eyes of Professor Oak and the rest of his friends and family burning into his soul. They wanted him to forfeit Bulbasaur, he just knew it. But the thing is, Bulbasaur had shown such power and ferocity that he couldn't let that happen. Whatever happened now was his decision, and he was going to stand by it.

"Nice hit, Nando! But that was nothing compared to what Bulbasaur can do! Power up with **Growth!**" He chanted these words with a heavy heart, not letting his opponent see him in a vulnerable state.

Shaking his head roughly to get his mind back into place, the grass type starter nodded as the bulb on his back glowed brightly with a light green aura, effectively boosting his attack and special attack by one stage.

"I hate to say it Ash, but two can play at that game. **Swords Dance!**" Nando retaliated, noticing immediately that his opponent was going through some sort of emotional turmoil, though he kept it to himself as now was not the time for that.

Armaldo roared in agreement, pleased that his trainer was letting him get stronger. The dual bug rock type performed a very specific dance as he moved his arms in fierce, circular motions as if there were swords present in his palms, powering up his attack by two stages.

The two foes glared at one another, their bodies illuminated by the colors of their types, green in Bulbasaur's case and dark brown for Armaldo.

"Light up the field with **Sunny Day**!" Ash ordered, wanting to get rid of the murky field.

The small grass type charged up a bright green orb on the center of the bulb on his back, releasing it when it became the size of his body, which exploded in the middle of the sky, causing bright waves of solar energy to illuminate the battlefield, and disintegrate the previously murky swamp, while simultaneously activating his hidden ability, Chlorophyll.

Nando's eyes hardened, knowing that Armaldo would be very easy to knock out at this point. Deciding quickly what his course of action would be, he smiled softly. "Litter the field with **Stealth Rock**!"

"Stop the attack!" Was the immediate response from Ash.

Bulbasaur once again used his vines to fling himself to his opponent, using the moment to spin in the air, propelling him further. Smirking to himself, he charged up a **Leaf Storm **in secret, discreetly putting on an innocent expression. Ash could see what he was doing from behind, feeling extremely doubtful as Nando grew a smirk on his face.

"Stop him in his tracks with **Giga Impact**!"

Ash couldn't stop his eyes from widening as the bulky rock type charged at Bulbasaur with the powerful normal type attack. He had been baited. "Retaliate with **Leaf Storm**!"

Bulbasaur quickly released the strong grass type attack with a pained shout, taking the full brunt of his opponent's attack, which suddenly increased in power and pushed him all the way back, launching him straight into the opposite wall of the stadium, which collided with his back with a gruesome crash, before he shivered as his Special Attack dropped by a stage, instead of the normal two stages because of the previous **Growth**.

Armaldo, on the other hand, fell to his knees, holding his shoulder as he stood drained after using the attack which required a recharge, just like **Hyper Beam**.

Ash stiffly stared at the crack that was created from Bulbasaur's impact with the wall, then he glanced horrifyingly at the vulnerable and feeble form of his dear grass type starter, who lay helpless with a hauntingly hurt expression on his face.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Armaldo is the winner! Ash, please send out your next pokemon!"

The crowd instantly became silent, watching with unbelieving eyes as Ash slowly walked to where his pokemon was behind him, solemnly picking him up, softly rubbing the top of his head with a small and shaky smile, smiling when the tiny grass type opened his eyes feebly, giving him a disappointed look. He wasn't disappointed in his trainer, he was disappointed in himself.

Ash gave Bulbasaur some words of encouragement and kindness before returning him and putting his capsule on his belt. Turning back around, he stared into the eyes of his opponent for a good few moments, before nodding respectfully. He had been too cocky, he knew that fully well. Sighing, he shook his head. He could dwell about his recklessness later.

He didn't even want to face Professor Oak or any of his Kanto friends at the moment, as the guilt would be unbearable.

Nando nodded back after a second, though he couldn't help but feel guilty at how bad Bulbasaur's impact was.

Shaking off his depressed mood, Ash grew a calm expression on his face, his mouth forming a firm line, as he pulled off another ball off of his belt and launched it onto the field with a shout of "Donphan! Let's go!"

The large ground type Pokemon appeared in a bright flash of light, immediately rolling up into a ball and spinning rapidly in place, letting out a fierce roar.

The referee looked briefly at Nando, who merely nodded his head, giving off the message that he wasn't switching. "Next battle! Donphan versus Armaldo! Nando has the first move! Battle begin!"

"Approach with **Dig**!" he commanded.

Armaldo used his razor sharp appendages to burrow into the ground, leaving a clearly visible hole because of his size.

"Use **Earthquake **to take him out of there! When he appears, finish him off with a combination of **Double Edge **and **Rollout**!" Ash ordered coldly, wanting to get rid of this pokemon already.

Donphan complied wordlessly, having a good hunch that his trainer's previous battle did not end well, so he attacked mercilessly as well. Using his front right hoof, the armadillo stomped fiercely on the ground, launching the bulky rock type out of the ground, before charging at him with all of his might, effectively colliding with the beast before his trainer could even attempt to order a defensive tactic. Swiftly rolling into a ball, Donphan began to spin rapidly in place, gaining speed before leaping high into the air, then abruptly bouncing downwards with added momentum.

Armaldo was helpless after taking the **Double Edge **and could only watch with fear as the ground type clashed with his body, effectively sending him spiraling, as he slided to a stop in front of his trainer, the tiredness from the last battle being visible on his face.

"Armaldo is unable to battle! Donphan is the winner! Nando, please send out your next pokemon!"

"Return! Thank you for your help, Armaldo. Take a good rest." He brought out another capsule, throwing it onto the field gracefully. "Roserade! Time to battle!"

"Donphan return!" Ash exclaimed, wanting to save the armadillo for later as he was still completely healthy. Fingering through his capsules, Ash found the ball he was looking for, smiling as he released the pokemon. "Go Quilava!"

The fire type starter from Johto appeared in a plume of blazing flames, giving off a cry of his name as he sprouted flames from his head and back in intimidation. He had evolved recently after seeing Ash win his first battle in TV, getting inspired to become stronger and more mature, thus leading to his evolution.

"A Quilava, very interesting. He seems very well cared for and well groomed. My apologies for what happened to your Bulbasaur, Ash. I did not intend to injure him to that extent. I hope that this does not tarnish our acquaintance," Nando admitted solemnly, putting his head down slightly in shame.

"No worries, Nando. I was simply too cocky and my actions came with risks, is all. I don't blame you for what happened, and I still hope we have a good battle."

"As do I," he replied with a small nod, before growing a serious expression, mirrored by his grass type stood in front of him. "Though I hope that you won't hold back this time."

"Gladly," Ash replied with a smirk, patting Quilava on the back, getting a confident cry from the fire type in return.

"Next battle! Quilava vs Roserade! Nando has the first move! Battle, begin!" The referee shouted, throwing down his two colored flags after making sure that both trainers were ready.

"Start this off with **Toxic Spikes**!" Nando commanded.

The graceful grass type nodded calmly, releasing a layer of pointed poisonous spikes that seeped into the opponent's side of the battlefield, causing poison to any grounded pokemon on the opponent's team that was released next.

Ash was unfazed by the attack, knowing that he had Donphan in the back to get rid of the spikes if they got out of hand for his pokemon. "Use **Swift**!"

Quilava released a large arrangement of multi colored stars, directing them all to the location of his opponent, as the stars spun and glimmered in the daylight. Roserade wordlessly released a murky, poisonous beam of energy from the two roses on her palms, covering the stars in a thick coat of toxic waste, before illuminating the stars with a pink aura of energy, sending the attack back to the one that used it.

'She used **Toxic **and **Extrasensory**, without even needing a command from Nando. This could be troublesome.' Ash put a hand to his chin in thought, before looking up and making his decision. "Send back all of it with **Flamethrower**!"

The fire type starter released a scorching flame from his mouth, roasting the previous **Swift **as well as the **Toxic**, before exuding even more flames, almost double the power, pushing back the attack and causing it to literally explode in his opponent's face, surprising her and her trainer immensely as the field was clouded with a giant puff of smoke.

'Incredible. He was able to increase his power so drastically that it completely overpowered the original attack and make it spontaneously combust!' Nando noted to himself in awe, peering through the smoke to spot his pokemon, hunched on one knee and panting, but alright.

"Get closer to her with **Agility**!" Ash commanded, his fist clenched. Bulbasaur's efforts would not go unwarranted.

The Johto fire type starter suddenly shifted his momentum, a pink shaded aura outlining his body, before he shifted his weight and swiftly changed places on the battlefield, coming face to face with his opponent in a moments notice, even going so far as winking flirtatiously at his opponent, making her blush in surprise as hearts surrounded her.

Though he didn't expect Quilava to use **Attract**, Ash went along with it with a grin. "Now that she's vulnerable, take her out with **Eruption**!"

"No! Roserade!" Nando exclaimed with a worried expression, fearing that there was not much he could do now that his grass type was infatuated.

Quilava complied with a grin, charging up a giant wave of blazing flames, letting it seep through his body from his head and back, effectively scorching the poor grass type, though he made sure not to severely injure her.

"Roserade!" The grass type exclaimed in agony, becoming completely overwhelmed by the powerful fire type attack, which threw her off her tiny feet and straight into the ground of the battlefield. "Rose…"

"Roserade is unable to battle! Quilava is the winner! Nando, please send out your next pokemon!"

"Thank you for the effort, friend. It seems that we have much to learn when it comes to type disadvantages," Nando noted as he returned the downed grass type, smiling. Ash was causing him to realize a lot of his faults. He pulled out another capsule, releasing it without haste. "Altaria! Let us begin!"

The fluffy cloud-like dragon type appeared above the battlefield in a plume of white feathers, floating in the air with an occasional graceful flap of her wings.

"An Altaria! What a beauty," Ash said with a respectful nod, impressed by how well groomed she was, as sparkles seemed to radiate off the dragon.

"I appreciate that, Ash. She is my ace in contests, and while battling isn't necessarily her strongest forte, she is still a force to be reckoned with in her own right!"

Ash nodded, before clenching his fist to Quilava, who grinned confidently in return. "You've done great so far, Quilava! Let's continue at our best!" The fire type cried out in determination, once again exuding intense flames from his head and back.

"Next battle! Quilava versus Altaria! Ash has the first move! Battle, begin!"

"Alright! Let's start this off with **Agility**, Quilava!" The teen ordered.

The second stage fire type starter complied, dashing rapidly around the battlefield in a frenzy, trying to psych out his opponent. Though when he passed by her, she seemed completely unfazed.

"Stop him right in his tracks with **Sing**!" Nando commanded, which widened the eyes of both his opponent and his opponent's pokemon.

"Try to evade the sound waves!" Ash ordered, "when you find an opening strike with **Flame Wheel!**"

Quilava tried his hardest to evade and juke past each singular wave, using **Agility **to accelerate past the attack and get closer to his opponent. Ducking his head, the fire type increased his speed even more, as his body began to gradually combust in flames. With a loud shout, he sprang into the air, adjusting his weight before beginning to spin, sending plumes of scorching fire type energy towards his opponent, before transitioning his body to replicate that of a fire cracker, throwing himself at his foe with all of his might.

"**Protect!**" Was the immediate retaliation from Nando, who seemed quite calm, a little too calm.

The dual dragon and flying type complied immediately, putting up a large and durable shield that radiated a green sheen, which completely protected her against the powerful fire type attack, and only barely saved her from the explosive impact from her opponent's dive-bomb attack. Using the momentum that she currently had, Altaria swiftly charged up a **Dragon Pulse**, releasing the attack on her opponent with no remorse, although the after image of the attack hurt her somewhat as well because of how close her opponent was. Quilava was sent back a couple feet before he landed on his feet, causing some dirt to spread vigorously from the force of the attack.

"Now charge in with **Smokescreen!**" For some reason this command made Nando's eyes grow fearful, confusing Ash immensely. "What's with him?"

"Try to use **Protect **again!" The green haired musician exclaimed desperately. But alas, because she had just used the attack, she could not use it consecutively. The dragon had no choice but to take the attack head on, and since her body was covered in feathers… Quilava would remember this moment for probably the rest of his life.

In a flash, an all black Altaria was all up in Quilava's space, leaving slash after slash on his poor complexion, leaving several marks on his body and face, as smoke seemed to release itself from where her ears should be. Relentlessly, the flying type continued to bash the unsuspecting fire type with everything she could, as her mind seemed to be lost in a fury of rage and anguish.

"Why is she so aggressive all of a sudden?" Ash asked his opponent nervously, cringing at the sounds of his buddy being torn to pieces.

"H-her pelt, she hates it w-when her pelt gets dirty," the older male attempted to explain. "Even when it only gets smudged, she gets very annoyed. But when it gets super dirty, she gets into a fit. This, this complete destruction of her pelt color might have just made her lose it for real!"

The raven haired teen could only gulp, as his fire type continued to be pummeled mercilessly. "Quilava, try to use **Prote**-" He cut himself off when he realized the fire type was on the ground out cold, a giant comical looking bruise on the top of his head. "...Nevermind."

"Quilava is unable to battle! Altaria is the winner! Ash, please send out your next pokemon!"

"Arceus that was brutal. Quilava, return buddy. Sorry you had to deal with...that, I'll get a special meal for you tonight, how does that sound?" Ash said sheepishly, only to grin when the fire type gave a drowsy thumbs up before being sent back into his capsule. Putting the ball back on his belt, he put a finger on his chin for a couple moments, before snapping his fingers in satisfaction as he knew exactly who to call out to deal with this moody Altaria.

"Bayleef, let's go!"

* * *

**So how was it?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well. I'm back now, and I'm happy to continue updating. The only problem is that my schedule is extremely tight, but I'll make sure to write when I have free time to not keep you guys waiting for too long. But hey, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, the battle will be finished in the next one, definitely. I had to cut this one short because of how long it already was, please let me know what you thought, as I am very open to criticism and advice, so don't be shy :)**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a great day!**


	20. A Blast from the Past: Part Three

**Hey guys, Jay1414 here with another chapter to this story. Sorry for my absence, but work has been kicking my ass recently. Nevertheless, I just had to sit down and get this chapter done.**

**Anyways, I hope you are all doing well, and that you enjoy the chapter!**

**Pokemon Moves**

**"Normal Speech"**

**'Poke Speech'**

**'Thoughts'**

"Sapphire's Speech"

_Last time on Reason:_

_In a flash, an all black Altaria was all up in Quilava's space, leaving slash after slash on his poor complexion, leaving several marks on his body and face, as smoke seemed to release itself from where her ears should be. Relentlessly, the flying type continued to bash the unsuspecting fire type with everything she could, as her mind seemed to be lost in a fury of rage and anguish._

_"Why is she so aggressive all of a sudden?" Ash asked his opponent nervously, cringing at the sounds of his buddy being torn to pieces._

_"H-her pelt, she hates it w-when her pelt gets dirty," the older male attempted to explain. "Even when it only gets smudged, she gets very annoyed. But when it gets super dirty, she gets into a fit. This, this complete destruction of her pelt color might have just made her lose it for real!"_

_The raven haired teen could only gulp, as his fire type continued to be pummeled mercilessly. "Quilava, try to use __**Prote**__-" He cut himself off when he realized the fire type was on the ground out cold, a giant comical looking bruise on the top of his head. "...Nevermind."_

_"Quilava is unable to battle! Altaria is the winner! Ash, please send out your next pokemon!"_

_"Arceus that was brutal. Quilava, return buddy. Sorry you had to deal with...that, I'll get a special meal for you tonight, how does that sound?" Ash said sheepishly, only to grin when the fire type gave a drowsy thumbs up before being sent back into his capsule. Putting the ball back on his belt, he put a finger on his chin for a couple moments, before snapping his fingers in satisfaction as he knew exactly who to call out to deal with this moody Altaria._

_"Bayleef, let's go!"_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

**Chapter 20: A Blast from the Past: Part Three**

The energetic grass type appeared within a moment's notice, turning around and cooing to her trainer, before turning back around and facing her opponent, who was thrashing around as if she had lost every sense of her being.

"Bayleef vs Altaria! Ash has the first move! Battle, begin!"

"Alright, Bayleef start this off with a **Sweet Scent**!" Ash ordered. The dinosaur pokemon complied with a smile, emitting a soft, angelic aroma from the leaves growing around her neck, effectively covering the battlefield as well as her opponent in a strong scent that lowered evasion.

"Very interesting," Nando noted, "but don't think that lowering evasion will do much! Charge in with **Sky Attack**!"

The furious dragon type mercilessly took off into the sky, her entire body becoming engulfed in a golden aura. Taking a moment to charge up to full power, Altaria let out a battle cry, crashing towards the ground with all of her strength. "RIAAA!"

"Launch yourself into the air with **Vine Whip**!" The teen exclaimed with a clenched fist.

"Bay!" Bayleef exuded two vines from her neck, pushing onto the ground with impressive force, sending her rather heavy body straight into the air.

'What's he up to?' The older male questioned himself. "Altaria, be careful!" The dragon type would have heard her trainer's plea, had it not been for her unrelenting rage as well as her altitude preventing her from hearing it.

"Now's our chance! Bayleef, dodge the attack and grab her!"

"Impossible! There's no way she can do that in midair!" Nando stated in disbelief, his worries not being calmed even the slightest by his opponent's grin.

"Oh don't worry about that," Ash said as he mindlessly tightened his gloves. "Bayleef here is known for being unique for her kind in more ways than one."

True to his word, the grass type used her momentum in the air to spin past the blazing bird, before using her vines to latch onto her opponent. The dragon flailed in her grip, but to no avail as Bayleef's hold on her was unbreakable. Then, the grass type stared into her opponent's eyes, before smiling kindly as she saw the fear in Altaria's eyes.

"Now!** Body Slam**!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, raising a fist into the air as Nando could only look on, helpless.

Bayleef immediately flung the dragon type from her grip, sending the angry pokemon barreling straight into the ground. Then, the grass type launched herself belly first, making contact with her still recovering opponent, sending them both into a crater created by the impact, dust flying everywhere and smoke filling the arena.

"Altaria!" Nando exclaimed fearfully as he shielded his vision from the harsh dust.

The dust soon dissipated, showing the end result for the whole stadium to see; a softly panting Bayleef standing in front of an unconscious Altaria.

"Altaria is unable to battle! Bayleef is the winner! Nando, please send out your next pokemon!"

"Alright, Bayleef! I knew you could do it!" Ash exclaimed wholeheartedly, affectionately rubbing the grass type's head. "Bay!" The Johto starter cooed joyfully, clearly pleased by the praise.

"Return, Altaria. When this battle is finished I will make sure to thoroughly clean your pelt," Nando stated with a small smile, returning the dragon type before pulling out his next poke ball and sending it onto the field. "Lopunny my friend, let's battle!"

The bi-pedal normal type pokemon made her appearance, smiling for a second before adopting a serious expression, putting her palms up in a fighting stance. "Lopunny!"

"Bayleef vs Lopunny! Nando has the first move! Battle, begin!" The referee announced, throwing down his flags once again.

"Let us begin with **Quick Attack!**" Nando ordered. Lopunny began to sprint towards her opponent, while her body was outlined in a white aura.

"Stop her in her tracks with **Energy Ball**!" Ash retaliated. Bayleef began to charge the grass type attack, before feeling the wind leave her as Lopunny jabbed a fist into her gut. Growling, the grass type grabbed her opponent and slammed her into the ground, attempting to attack again only to get kicked in the face. Stumbling back, Bayleef slapped the normal type with one of her vines, before pushing her to the ground with **Take Down**. Angered, Lopunny proceeded to kick the grass type off of her again, before striking the slower pokemon with an uppercut, sending her flailing before she landed in front of her trainer.

"What speed," Ash commented. "But no matter, we may be slower but we sure as hell aren't weaker! Bayleef, **Petal Blizzard**!"

The Johto started rose up with a scowl, her eyes seemingly glowing as a plethora of leaves were released from the leaves on her neck, creating a giant wave of razor sharp blades going straight towards her opponent.

"Evade the leaves with **Double Team!**" Making multiples copies of herself, Lopunny as well as her clones used their superior speed and aerodynamics to sidestep, cartwheel, as well as flip past each leave with astonishing skill, leaving a clear gap to attack. "Now capitalize with **Ice Punch**!" In a flash, the normal type charged her opponent with a fist incased in ice, before leaping into the air like a spring, performing a twirl that was clearly learned from coordinating, and using her nimble weight to throw herself into the face of the grass type, bashing her repeatedly with chilling strikes and punches, dealing incredible super effective damage.

"Bayleef, no!" The raven haired teen exclaimed in worry, his heart clenching as he heard his beloved grass type cry out in pain. That is until his eyes widened, seeing the familiar glow surround Bayleef's body!

"Bay...LEEF!" Bayleef exclaimed loudly, her body glowing in a red aura, before she threw herself at Lopunny head first, dealing an excruciatingly painful blow that sent the normal type spiraling towards her trainer's side of the battlefield. But that wasn't all, as the grass type let out a roar, while the blood red energy surrounding her body became pure white, her neck becoming longer, the leaves on her neck becoming beautiful flowers, and her skin tone becoming a much more modest shade of green. "Meganium!"

"No way!" Ash exclaimed in excitement. "Not only did you use **Counter**, you also evolved!" His excitement paused when he noticed Lopunny rise up slowly, bruised and battered but still standing tall.

"Congratulations Ash, I'd commend you for you pokemon's evolution, but we need to finish this battle first," Nando said with a confident smile.

"Right." The younger teen nodded, clenching his fist. "Well Meganium, let's show 'em what we're made of."

"Meganium!" The newly evolved grass type exclaimed in understanding, locking eyes with her opponent.

"Lopunny, **Dizzy Punch**!" The normal type responded at a rapid pace, once again taking off towards her now larger opponent, her fist showing small ducks surrounding it.

"Counter that with **Vine Whip**!" Meganium exuded four vines instead of two, using her newly enhanced strength to block her opponent's punches, before slapping the normal type with her vines once more, sending Lopunny to the ground. Having had enough of getting hit by vines, Lopunny rose up quickly, using her still superior speed to quickly make her way to her opponent, before hopping into the air, her knee glowing in white aura.

'That's **High Jump Kick**! If that lands, then Meganium won't be able to take any more hits!' Ash realized instantly, wracking his brain to formulate a plan. Suddenly, an imaginary light bulb appeared above his head. 'That's it!'

"Use your vines to grab her other leg!" The grass type sent her vines towards her opponent, attempting to wrap them around one of her legs, only to be meet with fierce resistance as Lopunny struggled to get the tight vines off of her. Deciding to just let the attack go, the normal type used all of her weight to fling herself at her opponent, surprising Meganium as she was met with a powerful knee striking her under the chin. The attack would have sent her flying, had it not been for the tight grip she had on Lopunny's leg, which actually brought the normal type along for the ride, causing for the both of them to meet the ground painfully, creating another plume of dust.

"Meganium!"

"Lopunny!"

The referee struggled to get a good look at the two pokemon at first, but when there was finally a decent enough view, he made the call. "Meganium and Lopunny are both unable to battle! Trainers, please send out your next pokemon!"

The two trainers returned their respective pokemon with equal amounts of praise, before sending out their next ones, these being Ash's fourth as well as Nando's fifth.

"Glalie, let's go!"

"Sunflora my friend let us battle!"

Both of the aforementioned pokemon appeared facing one another, with one floating and the other standing. Glalie simply grinned, while Sunflora gave off a cry of excitement.

"Sunflora vs Glalie! Ash has the first move! Battle begin!"

"Glalie, start this off with **Ice Beam**!" Ash commanded with a small grin happy that he has gotten the lead. The face pokemon shot out a beam of chilling ice type energy, keen on landing a good hit on his opponent.

"Weaken the attack with **Sunny Day**!" Was the immediate reply. The grass type released an orange ball of energy into the sky, effectively created a harsh sunlight that illuminated the battlefield, severely weakening Glalie's attack, along with all of his ice type moves in general.

"No problem! Change to **Gyro Ball**, Glalie!" The ice type began to spin, quickly picking up speed as he began to barrel towards his opponent, a silver sheen surrounding his round body.

"Deter him with **Leech Seed**!" Nando ordered. Sunflora released multiple seeds from his mouth, each of them separating and sprouting vines while simultaneously wrapping around Glalie's body, glowing a dark red as they sapped the ice type's health little by little.

"Use **Ice Beam **while you're close!" The raven haired teen grunted, annoyed that his pokemon was losing health by the second.

"GLALIE!" The face pokemon roared, launching the powerful ice type attack once more, though the damage was slightly lacking due to the previous **Sunny Day. **Sunflora clearly recoiled from the super effective attack, though that didn't stop it from striking the ice type with a **Cut **attack, doing some good damage from the way Glalie winced.

"Since Glalie is so close, use **Grasswhistle!**" The grass type complied, grabbing one of its leaves and beginning to play a peaceful tune.

"Get out of there!" Ash tried to warn his pokemon, but he was too late as the ice type dropped to the floor the moment the attack was called. "Damn it!" He cursed as Glalie laid unmoving. "Glalie buddy, please you've got to wake up!"

Unfortunately for Ash, Glalie made no motion that he heard his trainer's desperate call, continuing to snore. Sunflora approached the sleeping pokemon, before looking up at its trainer to make his move.

"Terribly sorry Ash, but this is the game we play. Sunflora, **Solar Beam**!" Nando commanded, glad that the **Sunny Day **was still up. The grass type used the mighty power from the sun to charge up his attack, before letting it rip onto his opponent, doing enough damage to even wake him up. Glalie merely groaned loudly in his sleep, before slowly opening his menacing looking eyes, shakily rising up from the powerful attack.

"Oh, thank goodness you can still fight, Glalie!" The teen said in relief, before his eyes widened in anguish.

"Glalie!" The ice type roared in determination, before his eyes went blank, as he fell forwards on his back, the previous **Leech Seed **having sapped the last of his energy he had left.

"Glalie is unable to battle! Sunflora is the winner! Ash, please send out your next pokemon!"

"Damn it, you went out too soon, Glalie. I'm sorry," Ash uttered shamefully to his ice type, who tried his best to console his trainer even in his tired state. "I promise this won't be your last stand, Glalie. You can count on that!"

"Glalie..." The face pokemon hummed in happiness, before giving in to his unconsciousness. It was an incredible play that took Ash by surprise, definitely. He returned Glalie back to his belt and began to go into deep thought. He had two pokemon left. They were both weak to this Sunflora, who could put them both to sleep with ease. Just what was he going to do? Sighing as he knew he didn't have much time to ponder about this, he grabbed one of his remaining capsules for the match and threw it on to the battlefield with only one thought in mind. 'I promised my pokemon that we'd win without a doubt. I won't let them down, nor will I let my friends and family down! I am Ash Ketchum, the future winner of the Sinnoh League! And no one is going to stop me!'

"Donphan! Let's do this!" The bulky ground type appeared once more, roaring in excitement before beginning to roll around the battlefield. "Roo!"

"Donphan vs Sunflora! Nando has the first move! Battle, begin!"

"Sunflora, begin with **Leech Seed**!" The grass type again sprouted seeds with vines growing out of them, intent on doing the same tactic as last battle.

"We're not falling for that twice! Donphan, crush those seeds with **Rollout!**" The armadillo pokemon took off inside his shell, blazing past the seeds while also stomping them when he got the chance. Now that he was close, Donphan tackled the grass type into the ground, pleased when his opponent cried out in pain. He added more pressure to the attack, noticing how Sunflora screamed out in more pain.

'Huh, it seems that this Sunflora has very low defense but high special defense. I noticed that it took Glalie's **Ice Beam **without much of a sweat, even though it was under **Sunny Day **that attack still should have hurt it. A physical beast like Donphan is a perfect counter to this pokemon!' Ash concluded to himself, snapping his fingers. "Keep up the pressure, hold Sunflora down!"

"Keep him off you with **Razor Leaf**!" Nando countered. The sun pokemon attempted to fire razor sharp leaves towards its opponents, only to find out that it couldn't move due to its nimble body being squished by Donphan's superior weight. Sunflora flailed around, trying as hard as possible to escape from the ground type pokemon's grip, but to no avail: it just wasn't strong enough. Nando could only grit his teeth as his pokemon was immobile and unable to escape.

"Now use **Take Down**!" Ash commanded with a clenched, going for blood. The armadillo pokemon released the grass type, giving his opponent only a split second of relief before he charged straight into Sunflora's stomach, sending his opponent straight into the stadium wall.

Donphan continued to approach the grass type, seeing if it was still standing or not. Suddenly, the ground type was blasted with a powerful **Energy Ball** from the other side of the stadium, being blasted back towards his side of the battlefield. Sunflora was shown walking slowly out of the hole it was impaled into, growling and breathing heavily. It seemed that the smaller pokemon was still able to fight, that is until the grass type began to shake slightly, before losing consciousness.

"Sunflora is unable to battle! Donphan is the winner! Nando, please send out your final pokemon!"

"Sunflora, thank you so much for your hard work. I couldn't be more pleased with your performance. Take a good rest, friend." Nando returned his grass type with a supporting smile, before facing his opponent, his last poke ball in his palm. "Well Ash, I thank you for giving me such a great battle, and I hope that you give my ace a good fight." He gave off a challenging grin, which his opponent matched with his own.

"Same, man. I hope that this continues to be as fun as it already has," Ash replied with an eager grin, as his hulking ground type roared in excitement as well, though clearly panting.

"Very well then. Kricketune my friend, let us battle!" Nando exclaimed releasing his ace as well as his partner pokemon who appeared in all of his glory, putting up his arm blades in battle ready formation. "Delelele wooop!"

"Donphan vs Kricketune! Ash has the first move! Battle, begin!"

"Let's begin with a **Rollout**!" The ground type rolled up into a ball once more, stampeding all the way to his new opponent, eager to get some good damage going.

"Stop him with **Bug Buzz!**" Nando exclaimed as he softly strummed his harp. The bug type pokemon began to buzz in a very abrasive and annoying manner, making an irate noise that rattled Donphan's senses, making him stop completely and groan. "Now that he's recoiling go for** X-Scissor**!" Kricketune followed up on his previous attack, crossing his two arm blades across his chest before slashing his opponent repeatedly with bright green bug type energy radiating off of his blades.

Donphan, being the bulky tank that he is, is expected to not take much damage from this attack, though currently was groaning in intense pain as the sharp blades sliced and irritated his rough skin. Having had enough of this onslaught, the ground type used his tusks to try to swat the bug type away, only to be taken by surprise as Kricketune swiftly avoided all of his attempts, before going back to slashing him like it was nothing.

"Damn it, this Kricketune sure is persistent. Hang in there Donphan! Try to find an opening and create some space between you two!" Ash stated in assurance, unsure of what he could do at this very moment.

Suddenly, Nando grew a slight smirk on his face. Ash had no clue why he had that expression until he heard his opponent utter two heart wrenching words. "Finish it."

Without any sort of warning, Kricketune let out a loud cry, hitting Donphan extra hard with a **Cut** attack which sent the ground type into the battlefield floor, before dancing a very specific dance with swords surrounding him, then charging at his opponent with one blade charged with bug type aura, before beginning to slash Donphan relentlessly once more, though this time each hit hurt more than the last.

"No! Donphan!" Ash cried out in worry, helpless in this situation. After seemingly the fourth hit, Donphan seemed to not be able to take any more, falling over with multiple slashing across his back.

"Donphan is unable to battle! Kricketune is the winner! Ash, please send out your final pokemon!"

Sighing to himself, Ash returned Donphan with words of encouragement before pulling out his final poke ball. This was it. It was do or die at this point. He had no doubt that this pokemon would win the match for him, he knew it one hundred percent. In his mind, in his soul, in his heart.

"Crawdaunt! I choose you!" The newly evolved water/dark crustacean appeared with a fierce war cry, before getting into a battle stance, holding his large claws in front of him in confidence. He had evolved when watching Ash train, just like Quilava. The difference with him however, was that he had dropped his silly attitude and adopted a more fierce and battle hungry one. He narrowed his eyes at his opponent, having no mercy to give.

"Final battle! Crawdaunt vs Kricketune! Nando has the first move! Battle, begin!" The referee announced, throwing the flag for what would be the last time for the day.

"Kricketune, approach with **X-Scissor**!" The bug type made his way towards his opponent, feeling slightly confused when the water type didn't even flinch.

It was only until the bug pokemon got close, did Ash made his command. "Catch it." True to his word, Crawdaunt simply put his giant claw out and grabbed Kricketune's arm like it was nothing, keeping a sharp grip on it as well. "Now, **Crunch!**"

Crawdaunt's claw became pitch black, ensnaring Kricketune's appendage in a painful crunch, effectively making the bug cry out in intense pain.

Nando was speechless. He was in utter disbelief that his strongest pokemon was getting handled so easily, by a pokemon that was a dark type, weak to bug.

Seeing that his opponent wasn't making a move, Ash did it for him. "Crawdaunt, let him go." The crustacean make a face that pretty much said 'Do I have to?' before complying and letting Kricketune go, the bug type howling in pain as he held his arm. "Now, finish this with a **Crabhammer** and **Pursuit **combo!" The water dark type immediately did as told, becoming a dark shadow and creeping behind his opponent, poking his back to make him look one way, then dipping forward and making him look the other way, before picking up speed and making the bug type completely confused to the point of dizziness. Watching his opponent circle around in a daze, Crawdaunt merely shrugged and bonked him on the head with the powerful water type attack, watching as Kricketune fell over in defeat. Shrugging, the crustacean crossed his arms, kicking some dust on his opponent's back.

"Kricketune is unable to battle! Crawdaunt is the winner! Since Nando has no more pokemon available to battle, the match goes to Ash!" The referee announced as the audience applauded the two trainers, extremely happy to have seen such an intense fight. And even though the ending of it was a little anticlimactic, it was still an fight to watch.

Nando stared down at his partner, unconsciousness, before picking him up and smiling. "Thank you, friend, you've done so well. I appreciate your effort. And though I would have preferred a different result, this one is just fine." He looked up to see Ash standing in front of him with his hand out, a big smile on his face. The older male smiled as well, taking the other trainer's hand as the audience applauded once more for the great showing of sportsmanship and kindness between the two trainers.

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Ash now stood in his room, staring at the six pokemon he used in the battle versus Nando. Most of them were wearing bandages, though Crawdaunt was just standing there unfazed. "Well guys, we did it. And even though it was a close match, I couldn't have been any more happy at how that battle went. Thank you guys so much for agreeing to come help me out," Ash said with a big smile as the six pokemon approached him and gave him their own bouts of affection, though some were more "overbearing" than others. He laughed it off though, as he returned all of his pokemon and got ready for bed. After putting on his pajamas and tucking Sapphire in, Ash took two poke balls from his belt and silently released them onto the floor, as he had something to talk about with two of his pokemon.

He hadn't said anything about it, but Ash had noticed how Bulbasaur and Glalie were very hesitant to show any emotion after they had won the match. Deciding now was the time to let it be known, he crouched down to the two. "Hey guys, I know that those battles may not have gone your way, but I promise you that this battle will be anything but the last time I use you guys in battles. I love you both too much to take away the love of battling from you." He grinned when the two perked up slightly at his words. "And trust me, I know that with our training regime, you two will become even better than you already are. It's a promise." He held out his fist, smiling when a vine and spike both made contact with it. "Thanks you guys, now it's almost time for Top 8. I won't let anyone take this opportunity away from me. It's my destiny, and my dream! I will try my hardest, and I will succeed! No matter what!"

"Look out everyone, cause Ash Ketchum is coming your way!"

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**So how was it? **

**Tell me what you think.**

**Well guys, there's the battle. Sorry if it was sped up but I really had a small amount of time to write this. But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed, since Top 8 is next, and woah is it going to be different.**

**Thanks for reading and have a great day!**


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